BOSTON (WHDH) - A man who admitted to a murder and series of violent assaults aboard a fishing vessel has been sentenced in Boston, according to the Department of Justice.
Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 31, was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison, months after he pled guilty to a count of murder, another count of attempted murder and another count of assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to a DoJ press release, the counts were related to a violent episode on a scallop ship back in September 2018, when Vazquez was aboard with several others, 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket.
Working on The Captain Billy Haver with six crew members, it was Sept. 23 when Vazquez used a hammer to strike a victim in the head to the point of unconsciousness, according to the release.
The DoJ said Vazquez then proceeded to walk onto the ship’s deck and stab a second victim with a fishing knife several times before hitting a third victim in the head with a hammer. He then covered the ship’s ice hold with heavy scallop baskets, trapping two crew members before getting into a struggle with the ship’s captain.
After trying to stab the captain, Vazquez eventually climbed to the top of the ship’s rigging until the Coast Guard arrived and took him into custody.
The second victim, who had been stabbed multiple times, was pronounced dead after being taken to a ship by a rescue boat.
“This murder was senseless and horrific, and so were the other unprovoked, violent assaults Mr. Vazquez committed, turning what should have been a regular day at work into a dreadful nightmare for his victims and their families,” said Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division. “There is no question today’s sentence is just, given the brutality and indifference to human life this man has demonstrated. Removing dangerous criminals from our streets, and our seas, is a top priority of FBI Boston’s Violent Crimes Task Force.”
In addition to the 253 months in prison he has been sentenced to serve, Vazquez will also serve three years of supervised release.
The DoJ also said Vazquez is a Mexican national and has been in the United States illegally, making him subject to deportation proceedings once his sentence is complete.
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