Double-murder victims identified as Roxbury, Hyde Park men

The small things are the memories that Cheryl Boyd kept thinking of as she mourned her husband, who was shot dead Saturday night in Mattapan along with his close friend. “When they shot him, they killed part of me. Half of my heart is gone,” Boyd said, standing teary-eyed on her porch Tuesday as she spoke of her husband who liked pork and beans, a clean car and was looking forward to Easter Sunday. “I lost my best friend, my traveling companion, my cook, my comforter.”

Cops identified Kevin Boyd of Roxbury and Michael Dukes of Hyde Park — both 53 years old and lifelong close friends — as the two men shot to death Saturday night on Violet Street in Mattapan.

The victims, who grew up in Hyde Park together, were at a barbecue when someone standing a long distance away opened fire, striking and killing both, police and people close to the men said. Police Commissioner William Gross, speaking the day after the killings, said the two were simply standing there and “did nothing wrong.”

Hassan Williams, after walking up to Cheryl Boyd to pay his respects, told the Herald he grew up with Kevin Boyd — who he always called “KB” — and Mike Dukes. They and a couple of their friends were members of the first black families in Hyde Park when they were kids, he said, and they were some of the kids on the buses during the busing desegregation crises.

“Both were just good guys — both just full of life,” Williams said of Dukes and Boyd. “Both great family men. Where we came from, it was all about family — we were all extensions of each other’s families.”

Cheryl Boyd and her husband were planning to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, which is coming up in June after the couple met about 20 years ago. They were excited about taking a trip to Jamaica and had tickets to a comedy show they were looking forward to. The couple has two children, one each from a previous marriage, and three grandchildren, with another on the way.

“So many plans, so many plans,” Boyd said, standing teary-eyed on her porch.

The cops asked that anyone with information call homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.

https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/04/16/two-slain-in-mattapan-shooting-i...

Boyd said her husband was one of those guys who knows everybody; they couldn’t go anywhere without him being stopped to chat.

“The called him the mayor of Burrell Street,” she said of the neighbors.

She said he’d quickly ingratiated himself with everyone though kind acts, playing with kids and helping people translate from English to Creole. She loves to talk about her husband, speaking at length Tuesday afternoon, and that’s nothing new — just ask her coworkers, she said.

“Some knew him, some didn’t, but they all felt like they did because all I do is talk about him,” Boyd said. “He was so kind — but a straight shooter. Rough around the edges, but he was a good, good man.”