Kingston Man Sentenced to Life for 2023 Fatal Shooting of Mansfield Roommate
William O'Brien, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting of Samuel Waters at a Mansfield home. He faces life with parole eligibility after 22 years.
Kingston Man Gets Life Sentence in Mansfield Roommate Murder
A 25-year-old Kingston man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the fatal shooting of his roommate at a Mansfield home in May 2023, wbsm.com reports.
William O'Brien entered his guilty plea to second-degree murder, as well as possession of a large-capacity firearm and ammunition, in Fall River Superior Court on September 10. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced the outcome.
O'Brien received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 22 years on the murder charge, and a concurrent two-and-a-half to five-year term on the firearms charge.
Victim found at base of staircase
The charges stem from May 20, 2023, when Mansfield Police were called to 42 West Church Street at approximately 11:11 a.m. following a report of a shooting. Officers found Samuel Waters, 23, at the base of an interior staircase with multiple fatal gunshot wounds to his head.
O'Brien was located a short distance from the home, wearing a bulletproof vest. Placed in the rear seat of a police cruiser equipped with audio and video recording, he made what the D.A.'s Office described as a "rambling statement" in which he admitted to killing Waters, described the weapon used, and indicated where it had been discarded.
Police searched a brook adjacent to the property and recovered a 9mm Polymer 80 semi-automatic pistol with a 31-round capacity, found loaded with 18 rounds.
No clear triggering event
Waters had been living at the West Church Street address alongside O'Brien and several friends, all in their early 20s. Inside the home, investigators found multiple marijuana products, evidence of a marijuana distribution operation, and multiple firearms.
According to the D.A.'s Office, O'Brien was seated on a couch on the ground floor when Waters came down the stairs. O'Brien then stood and opened fire with "no clear triggering event established."
O'Brien was charged with gun crimes on May 21, 2023, the day after the incident. Murder charges followed the next day.
The D.A.'s Office noted that O'Brien's statement in the cruiser, "at times incoherent," included a claim that he believed Waters intended to kill him. "There is no known evidence to support the defendant's stated belief," the office said, adding that O'Brien "has a history of mental illness."
Prior record and in-custody assault
At the time of the killing, O'Brien was on probation from Plymouth Superior Court for a prior firearms offence and had been serving a two-year committed sentence. While in custody following the murder, he assaulted a corrections officer and received an additional 90-day sentence for that offence.
District Attorney Quinn said the case represented "a senseless killing of a young man who had his whole life ahead of him," and that O'Brien "clearly needs to be incarcerated for a very long time."
Source: Google News JM — Kingston