BOSTON (WHDH) - A man accused of fatally beating a homeless man as he slept in a Charlestown Park in September has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge, officials said.
The Suffolk County Grand Jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging Clifton Moore, 30, with first-degree murder in connection with the attack at Ryan Playground that left 54-year-old Joshua Rivera dead, Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross and Suffolk District Attorney John P. Pappas announced Wednesday.
“Like too many people, Mr. Rivera was particularly vulnerable as he slept outside with no place to call home,” Pappas said in a statement. “I want to commend the Boston Police detectives and Suffolk prosecutors who committed themselves to speaking for him, and I’m especially grateful to the witnesses who stepped forward to share what they saw and what they knew. They were absolutely critical in helping us build this case.”
Witnesses told police they saw a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt wielding a long item, possibly a stick or a bat, repeatedly striking what they initially believed was an empty park bench. After he left the area, the witnesses discovered Rivera’s body on the bench and called 911.
Rivera suffered multiple blunt force injuries to the head and died at the scene.
MBTA public safety cameras captured a man matching the assailant’s clothing description and carrying a backpack and baseball bat as he entered the park a short time prior to the attack.
Moore, whose build is consistent with that of the Ryan Playground assailant, was arrested approximately one month later by Somerville Police for allegedly assaulting a woman with a baseball bat in that city. At the time of his arrest, he was wearing a backpack and shoes similar to those clearly visible in the MBTA footage, prosecutors said.
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