NE Unsolved: Robert Flemming

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- There is really no other way to say it. The murder of Robert Flemming was up close, and it was personal.

Flemming probably never saw it coming and four years later, his mother and Boston Police homicide are still working this case.

Shots were fired on Adams Street in Dorchester just before 11 p.m. on July 20, 2010. That's when 23-year-old Flemming was hit. He's the city's 16th murder victim in a year that would see 73 people lost to homicide.

Detective Joshua Cummings said it was a cold blooded murder. Flemming was walking with his cousin to the corner store when he was shot only a block away from his mother's apartment. That's where he spent his final hours, watching television with his mother and talking about a family day trip.

His mom, Michelle, said he was the kind of person that always put family first. She remembers a son who had scrapes with the law when he was younger, but she also remembers a son who grew up fast, when his son Isaiah was born.

"I seen a whole different change," she said.

On that night, the two watched the 10 o'clock news together, and after the weather report, Flemming left his mother's apartment.

"He said, 'Mom, I want to go to the store. I'll be right back,'" she explained. "And he never came back."

Just 10 minutes after Flemming left his mother's home with a cousin, he walked right into the path of his killer.

Cummings said, "This is where the victim and his cousin are walking. They are going towards Fields Corner. They are on cellphones, they are about five to 10 feet apart."

Flemming and his cousin walk by two men who were standing up against a fence. His cousin told police that as soon as they passed by, one of the men started shooting.

Michelle rushed to Boston Medical, but before she could get there, her son was gone

Four years later, Cummings is still searching for Robert's killer and Michelle is still mourning her son. Both refuse to give up.

"I will fight until the day I die, to get justice for my son," Michelle said.

If you have any information about what happened to Flemming, call Boston Police Crimestoppers at 1.800.494.tips or Boston Police at 617-343-4470.

Cox Media Group