Fifth suspect in custody for murder in an Expressway hotel

The last of five men wanted for the robbery and murder of Joshua Briggs in the Holiday Inn Express on Boston Street last October turned himself in this morning, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Randy Cannon, 26, was arraigned today in Dorchester Municipal Court on a charge of murder and three counts each of armed robbery and armed home invasion for his role in the robbery that led to Briggs's death from a gunshot wound to the head on Oct 17. Cannon was ordered held without bail.

James "Shizz" Coleman, John "Spice" Collins, Errin "Dubdub" Crawford and Michael "Bats" Reynolds were indicted in December for the robbery and murder.

According to the DA's office:

Evidence gathered by Suffolk prosecutors and Boston Police homicide detectives suggests that Briggs and others were inside a room at the hotel on the night of Oct. 16 into the early morning hours of Oct. 17, and that Cannon, Coleman, Collins, and Crawford were also present but were ejected by hotel staff after a fight. The evidence suggests that they returned with Reynolds and forced their way into the room at about 4:15 am; that at least two of the defendants were armed with a firearm; and that this fact was known to all of the defendants. The evidence further suggests that all five men took part in the robbery of cash, jewelry, and firearms that they knew to be in the hotel room. Briggs suffered a fatal gunshot wound during the incident and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The totality of facts and evidence suggest that - armed or unarmed - the defendants acted with a specific intent to cause death or serious injury or took part in an action that carried a clear risk of death or serious injury

Innocent, etjc.