By Jerald Jimenez
May 1, 2024, 12:34 PM EDT
A Framingham district court, in Massachusetts, witnessed a pitched battle between the relatives of a man accused of murder and the victim, after a road accident following an argument.
The arraignment of Ryan Sweatt, 36, suspected of killing Destini Decoff, 26, in a highway incident on April 4 in Hopkinton, was followed by a fight outside the courtroom, with members of both families involved in an exchange of blows, Boston25 News reported.
Despite the chaos at the hearing, the quick intervention of the police and judicial agents managed to dissolve the tumult. No serious injuries were reported and no arrests were made at this time.
Sweatt was reportedly driving a Honda Civic on Route 85 when he allegedly got into a roadside altercation with a Toyota. After the two cars stopped, Decoff and his group exited the vehicle. Sweatt allegedly made a U-turn at high speed and struck the victim in the road. Decoff was seriously injured in the accident and died two days later in hospital.
Sweatt was charged with murder following Tuesday’s hearing. The suspect is currently being held without bail. After being charged, he pleaded not guilty on April 5.
The suspect was previously charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, operating to endanger and violating marked lanes.
Dawn Anderson, Decoff’s aunt, was seen wiping blood off her neck after the incident. Her relative claimed that one of Sweatt’s relatives tried to grab her by her hair, but she was able to “throw him to the ground” after the failed attempt.
Despite the altercation, Decoff’s family is determined to seek justice: “Destini will get justice some way, some way, but that family is sick, sick, sick, sick!” Anderson said.
With information from Boston25 News New York Post
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