Kevin Boyette, 36, was charged with the murder of 21-year-old Tatyiana Flood, whose body was found May 20 near Wentworth Institute of Technology and Northeastern, according to officials.
Police responded to a radio call about a body found near 20 Annunciation Road and Ruggles Street at 6:04 a.m. May 20, according to a Boston Police Department, or BPD, police report obtained by The Huntington News. Flood’s body was outside and in a wheelchair, according to WCVB.
Officers launched a death investigation after arriving on the scene, and homicide detectives were also called in. Flood had no known connection to Northeastern.
According to a BPD press release, homicide detectives arrested Boyette, who lives in Boston, after an investigation into Flood’s death. He was arraigned May 30 in Roxbury District Court, and a defense attorney pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Boyette’s behalf, according to court footage.
In court, prosecutors said surveillance video allegedly showed Flood and Boyette getting into a Jeep together shortly before 7 p.m. May 19, the night before Flood’s body was found, according to Boston25 News. She was allegedly first attacked in the backseat of the vehicle she was seen getting into, according to prosecutors.
“The rear driver’s side door of the Jeep can be seen slightly ajar, at which time the male suspect is observed to be swinging what in the video appears to be a hammer in a downward motion in the backseat of the vehicle,” Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Ben Sabol said in court.
Flood’s parents, originally from Ireland and now living in Massachusetts, told WCVB that they don’t know who Boyette is or why their daughter is dead.
BPD is accepting anonymous tips about Flood’s murder, and anyone with information is urged to contact the BPD Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. Tips can also be submitted through the CrimeStoppers tipline website by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463) or calling 1-800-494-TIPS.
Boyette previously had charges against him, including assault with a knife, which were scheduled to go to trial in April. Boyette, however, did not appear in court for the trial, prosecutors told WCVB.
He is currently being held without bail and is due back in court in July.
