BOSTON (WHDH) - A 65-year-old man who recently died from the injures he suffered when a burglar brutally attacked him inside of his home on Christmas Eve had a passion for architecture and spent many years working tirelessly to beautify the Roxbury neighborhood that he called home, according to family.
Bruce Rose, 66, grew up in New Bedford, went to college in Boston, and never left the city.
Lisa Rose says her brother was proud to be the owner of a brownstone home on Pompeii Street and he dedicated his time to fixing up the community.
“He always had a love for architecture. He loved the South End and loved all of the brownstones but wasn’t able to afford it,” Lisa said of her brother. “He saw this community and he thought, ‘You know what? We can do something here.'”
After Bruce bought the home on Pompeii Street, he not only vastly improved it, but helped overhaul the entire neighborhood over the years.
“The awnings, the trees. That was all from his tireless work with the city to beautify a community where people could afford to come and live,” Lisa explained.
Bruce was unable to gather with family on Christmas Eve because of the pandemic, so he spent the night alone at his home.
Officers responding to a reported break-in at Bruce’s home around 11 p.m. learned that he had been violently beaten by a burglar.
Wyse Richardson, 23, of Dorchester, was later arrested. He is expected to be arraigned Friday on a charge of murder in connection with Rose’s death, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
In a statement, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said that Richardson “will be held accountable for the harm he is alleged to have inflicted.”
Rose had been hospitalized at Boston Medical Center with a serious head injury prior to his death on Tuesday.
“My brother was the life of the party, the good and generous person that he was,” Lisa said. “It’s just awful…I just want people to know what a wonderful person my brother was.”
Richardson was ordered to undergo an evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital following his initial arraignment last month.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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