Medford Man Convicted of 2013 Murder of Joseph Puopolo in Stoneham

WOBURN – Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan and Stoneham Chief of Police James O’Connor have confirmed that Jessie Williams, 34, of Medford, was convicted of first degree murder, armed robbery, armed assault in a dwelling, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the 2013 murder of Joseph Puopolo, Jr. in Stoneham. Puopolo, a U.S. Army veteran who had served in Afghanistan, was 27 years old when he was killed.

Williams was found guilty on all counts by a jury in Middlesex Superior Court on March 20, 2024 after a retrial.  A previous conviction was overturned by the Supreme Judicial Court in 2021 after it was determined that the trial judge improperly replaced a deliberating juror with an alternate during deliberations.

At 12:19 a.m. on July 3, 2013, Stoneham Police responded to reports of gunshots on Micah’s Pond Way in Stoneham. When officers arrived they found two males suffering from gunshot wounds. One of those men, Joseph Puopolo, Jr., had gunshot wounds to the chest and forearm. He was transported to Lahey Clinic where he was pronounced dead.  The second victim survived a gunshot wound to the chest.

Williams and his cousin Eugene Tate had come to the home under the pretense of seeking to purchase marijuana, but instead drew loaded handguns and announced their intention to rob the victims. During the ensuing struggle, Williams and Tate each fired their weapons, killing Joseph Puopolo, Jr. and seriously wounding his friend.

“Joseph Puopolo, Jr. was the victim of a senseless, violent robbery that was driven by greed. The defendant in this case came to meet his victims armed and prepared use violence if he met resistance.  This case exemplifies our commitment to the families of victims even when a decade may have passed and court rulings require us to revisit a case,” said District Attorney Ryan.

Jessie Williams’ co-defendant, Eugene Tate of Malden, was convicted of first degree murder after a separate jury trial on November 23, 2015. That jury also found Tate guilty of armed robbery, armed assault in a dwelling and unlawful possession of a firearm. Tate was sentenced on November 30, 2015, to life without the possibility of parole.

This case was investigated by the Stoneham Police Department and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

The prosecutors in this case were Assistant District Attorney David Solet, Chief of the Cold Case Homicide Unit, and Assistant District Attorney Jamie Charles, Senior Appellate Counsel. The Victim Witness Advocate was Jill Feeney.

Jessie Williams will be sentenced on Monday at 2:00 p.m. in Middlesex Superior Court in courtroom 540.