A Boston man with a lengthy criminal history who was allowed to walk free from court despite a warrant for his arrest allegedly beat a 21-year-old woman to death just three weeks later, according to a report.
A judge ordered court officers to arrest Kevin Boyette, a 36-year-old with a history of aggravated assault and domestic violence charges, on a warrant in April, but officers allegedly let him walk free, according to court documents obtained by the Boston Globe.
“Front door security looked like they were going to take him into custody; then proceeded to allow the [defendant] to walk back out,” a court clerk wrote in a docket entry.
It was not immediately clear why Boyette was allowed to walk free. The Roxbury man has a lengthy rap sheet that includes accusations that he abused his girlfriend and threatened her family with a knife and, in a separate incident, groped a woman before stabbing her cousin, the Globe reported.
Most recently, Boyette is accused of killing 21-year-old Tatyiana Flood in the parking lot of a Boston Housing Authority apartment complex this past May.
Police officers responded to a call on May 20 about the body of a woman found in a wheelchair in the parking lot. Once there, officers discovered Flood, with blunt force injuries to her face, next to a car where she was allegedly killed.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Boyette beating Flood with a hammer in the backseat of a Jeep before dragging her body to a nearby wheelchair and fleeing the scene, authorities said.
Boyette was arrested on May 22 and arraigned on a murder charge, for which he pleaded not guilty. He is currently being held without bail.
Meanwhile, three court officers have been placed on administrative leave after failing to apprehend Boyette just three weeks before Flood’s murder, Trial Court spokesperson Jennifer Donahue told the Globe.
“The matter is under investigation at this time,” Donahue wrote. “The Trial Court can’t comment on personnel matters.”
It was not immediately clear what kind of relationship Boyette and Flood shared, if any. Boyette lived in the apartment complex where Flood was found dead.
Boyette faced assault charges in two other cases that were dismissed this year, though his criminal history dates back decades.
In 2006, when Boyette was 17, he was convicted of carrying a gun without a permit. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, according to the report.
Three years later, he allegedly stabbed a man outside the Suffolk Superior Court. He was charged with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, though the charges were dropped, with prosecutors saying they did not complete their investigation of the fight.
In 2013, Boyette was indicted and acquitted on new gun charges. The next year, he was convicted of violating an ex-girlfriend’s abuse prevention order and sentenced to a year in jail, the Globe reported.
In 2017, he was convicted on federal charges for possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. After serving a year in jail, he was arrested again for allegedly attacking employees at a pizza shop. For violating his probation, he then spent 17 months in prison, according to the report.
Boyette’s streak of violence continued into 2021, when his then-girlfriend invited him over, only for her brother to tell Boyette he was not welcome because of his history of abuse.
In response, Boyette drew a knife. The family then called police, who had to wrestle him into handcuffs, according to authorities.
He was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a police officer, which is why he was in court in April when officers failed to take him into custody.
