Two Men Arraigned in Shooting of Waltham Teen; One Charged With Murder, one with Firearms and Drug Offenses

WALTHAM – A Waltham man and a Belmont man were both arraigned today in connection with the March 20th shooting death of seventeen year old Tyler Zanco of Waltham, District Attorney Marian Ryan informed the public today.

Domingo Mendes, 22, of Belmont was arraigned today in Woburn Superior Court on the charges of murder, carrying a firearm, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Woburn Superior Court Clerk Magistrate Matthew Day held the defendant without bail.

Taylor Poulin, 21, of Waltham, was arraigned today in Woburn Superior Court on the charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, accessory after the fact to murder, carrying a firearm, attempt to commit a crime, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy to distribute class D substance, possession with intent to distribute class D (2 counts), and a park zone violation. Woburn Superior Court Clerk Magistrate Matthew Day set bail at $250,000 cash with condition of a GPS bracelet and house arrest if he should post bail.

Poulin and Mendes are next scheduled to appear in court on July 29, 2014 at 9:00 am for a pre-trial hearing.

Authorities allege that on March 20, 2014, Poulin and Mendes traveled to the Garden Crest apartment complex in Waltham, intending to sell a large quantity of marijuana to the victim, then to commit a robbery of someone else.  Instead they were surprised when the first customer, the teenage Zanco, attempted to rob Poulin.  During the ensuing struggle, Poulin struck Zanco with a handgun he was carrying.  Mendes then came to Poulin's aid, obtained control of the weapon, and fired a shot.  When Zancoattempted to flee, Mendes aimed and fired at least two additional shots, one of which struck Zanco in the back, causing fatal injuries.  He was pronounced dead that evening at Newton Wellesley Hospital.  Poulin and Mendes fled the scene together, first to Boston, where they abandoned Mendes' car, then to Lowell.

During the investigation that followed, police discovered additional evidence that Poulinwas involved in large scale drug distribution activity, recovering thousands of dollars worth of marijuana and $7000 in cash at Poulin's Waltham apartment and thousands of dollars more in marijuana at a storage facility Poulin had rented.  The storage facility directly abutted a public park in Waltham that contained a basketball court and skateboard park.

Taylor Poulin was located in Maine on March 26th, based upon information obtained by Waltham Police detectives and Massachusetts State Police detectives. He was subsequently arrested and returned to Massachusetts as a fugitive from justice.   Domingo Mendes turned himself in to Waltham Police on April 17th.  A Middlesex Grand Jury indicted Poulin and Mendes on June 12th.

The case was investigated by Waltham Police detectives and State Police detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

The prosecutors assigned to this case are Assistant District Attorneys David Solet and Crystal Lyons.  The Victim Witness Advocate is Anne Foley.  The Paralegal is Kristina D'Ambra.

These charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.