Man convicted of murdering a teen he didn't know at 2021 Carnival

Javare Sommerville-Adams, 17, up from Providence for the annual Caribbean Carnival, was standing at Blue Hill Avenue and Columbia Road enjoying the celebration on the morning of Aug. 28, 2021 when a man he didn't know standing near him plunged a knife into his neck.

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted Omara Shears, 46, of first-degree murder, which means a sentence of life without parole, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

According to prosecutors, as Sommerville-Adams crumpled to the sidewalk, Shears put on a ball cap and sauntered away toward Seaver Street: "Video then showed Shears interacting with members of his family while holding a knife in his hand."

Sommerville-Adams, who had only been standing near Shears for a few moments, was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, the DA's office reports.

In a statement, DA Kevin Hayden, who attended the reading of the verdict, said:

What guilty verdicts can do is bring survivors of homicide victims the knowledge that justice has been served and an offender has been held accountable for their actions. But what verdicts can never do is erase the pain and loss and grief of losing a loved one. I’m grateful for the jury’s service and verdict in this tragic and inexplicable act of violence - which ended the life of a young man enjoying a city festival - and my office will remain at the service of Javare’s family as they continue to process their terrible loss.