Lowell Man Sentenced to Life without Parole for 2014 Murder

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Lowell Police Superintendent William Taylor have announced that Robert Weidman, 54, of Lowell, was sentenced by Judge Merita Hopkins today to life without the possibility of parole in connection with the 2014 Lowell stabbing death of Hector Almedina, 27, of Lawrence. A Middlesex Superior Court Jury found the defendant guilty yesterday of first degree murder.

On July 10, 2014, at approximately 10:15 p.m., Lowell Police responded to a report of a stabbing on Woburn Street in Lowell. Upon arrival authorities located the victim who was transported to Lahey Clinic in Burlington and was pronounced deceased in the early morning hours of July 11. Lowell Police and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office immediately began an investigation.

Through their investigation authorities learned that the defendant had contacted a drug dealer known to the victim asking to set up a drug deal. The defendant had previously set up multiple drug deals with this individual. On July 10, the drug dealer sent the victim to deliver a quantity of narcotics to the defendant. Authorities also learned that the defendant intentionally requested the victim to arrive after 9:30 p.m. under the assumption that the he would have more cash from prior drug deals later in the evening.

The investigation also revealed that approximately two weeks prior to July 10 and again approximately two days before that date, the defendant had stated to a witness that he planned on robbing the victim of his cash and the only way to do it was to kill him.

The prosecutors assigned to this case were Assistant District Attorneys Tom O’Reilly, Christopher Tarrant and Laura Kirschenbaum. The Victim Witness Advocate was Dora Quiroz.