Quincy teen accused of murdering Weymouth High School student appears in court

QUINCY, Mass. — The Quincy teen accused of killing a Weymouth High student earlier this month was in court. For the first time we learn what police say happened on the evening of murder. Norfolk County ADA Philip Burr laid out what police say happened when 18-year-old Jaivon Harris and several other juveniles came up with a plan to rob 17-year-old Nathan Paul. “This group conspired to rob him of several boxes of THC vape cartridges using fake currency when he arrived and leave before he realized the money was fake,” Burr said.

Paul, who was a Weymouth High Student, showed up in this Toyota Highlander in Quincy’s Germantown neighborhood to sell THC vape cartridges, which are illegal to sell in Massachusetts.  But when Paul figured out the money handed over was fake the incident escalated to a shooting. Prosecutors say juveniles there say Harris had a gun but another teen was the shooter. “Shot him, almost hit him with his car and at that point Jaivon Harris yelled shoot em,” said Burr.

Harris’s mother and father were in court. “My son did not do this. It will unfold, Jaivon will come home and they will have to recant all of this and the damage this has done to our family,” Harris’ mother said.

Paul’s parents would not talk after court but previously told us the 17-year-old was planning to go to Quincy College and was on the football and wrestling teams at Weymouth High.

Paul’s family broke out in applause when the judge ruled to keep Harris in custody. Francisco Napolitano is Harris’s attorney. “We think it is all circumstantial, no forensic evidence, no fingerprints, no gun was ever found,” said Napolitano

Prosecutors did say they have identified the shooter but apparently that juvenile has left the country and is in Puerto Rico right now.  They say Harris is also charged with the murder using the felony murder rule where the robbery is the felony.

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