Teen indicted for murder in 2022 slaying of Weymouth High student taken into custody in Puerto Rico

DEDHAM, Mass. — A teenager earlier indicted for murder following the 2022 shooting homicide of 17-year old Weymouth High School student Nathan Paul has been taken into custody in Puerto Rico, the district attorney said Sunday.

Keniel Diaz-Romero, formerly of Quincy, was recently returned to Massachusetts by state and local police and he will be arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement. Quincy Police and State Police traveled to Puerto Rico to take custody of Diaz-Romero last week.

“State Police assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office and Quincy Police have been working with the US Marshals Service and the the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section of the Massachusetts State Police to first locate, then return this defendant to Massachusetts since this indictment issued sixteen months ago,” Morrissey said. “I thank Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy, the US Marshals Boston Office and VFAS for their coordination and cooperation here.”

In May 2022, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Jaivon Harris, 18, and Diaz-Romero, who was 18 at the time and remained at-large, in connection with Paul’s homicide on Feb. 15, 2022 in Quincy. In July 2022, four juveniles were arrested in connection with Paul’s homicide.

Prosecutors say Paul, a high school senior who was on the football team and also wrestled, was shot and killed after a group of teens tried to rob him of THC vape cartridges.

Quincy Police responded to Taffrail Road on the evening of Feb. 15, 2022, for a call for shots fired. When officers arrived, they found Paul with gunshot wounds. He was taken to Boston Medical Center where he later died of his injuries, according to Morrissey.

Harris, 18, of Quincy, was previously arrested and arraigned on a charge of murder in Paul’s death. Investigators said in May 2022 that they were working with local, regional, and federal law enforcement to find Diaz-Romero and take him into custody.

Harris and Diaz-Romero stand indicted for murder, larceny from a person, possession of a counterfeit bill, uttering a counterfeit bill, and conspiracy to commit larceny. Harris faces the additional indictment of misleading police. Diaz-Romero is also indicted for unlawfully carrying a firearm.

Diaz-Romero is being held pending arraignment at the Norfolk County Jail in Dedham, Morrissey said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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