Case Profiles #54
Reina Rojas
41-year-old Reina Rojas had immigrated from El Salvador to East Boston, Massachusetts, in May of 2022. She had left behind two children to pursue a better life and provide more for her kids. On November 26th, 2022, Reina was seen getting into a car in East Boston and being dropped off in Somerville. She has not been seen since. Reina was in possession of two cell phones, and both of which were powered off after midnight on November 27th, 2022. After Reina’s disappearance, there was an uproar in the community because the police didn’t announce to the public that she went missing for nearly two months. It was largely felt that Reina’s case was being treated dismissively due to the fact that she was a woman of color and because she was an immigrant. The Boston Police Department state that they have been actively working to close the case since Reina was reported missing in November of 2022, but those close to her are skeptical of this due to the late announcement. Boston police have asked anyone with any information on her disappearance please call detectives at 617-343-4324. Anonymous tips can be also made by calling the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or texting “TIP” to CRIME (27463).
Steven Latimer
On October 2nd, 2011, just days shy of his 24th birthday, 23-year-old Steven Latimer was enjoying a night out at a nightclub in Providence, Rhode Island with his cousin, 23-year-old Dwayne Abney. After the club had closed, the two men were walking down the street joking around with one another when Steven brushed into a car parked on the side of the street. All of a sudden, a group of men approached Steven and Dwayne and accused Steven of trying to tamper with their vehicle. Steven and Dwayne told the group of men that this wasn’t the case and that they were just walking down the street, but the conversation started to get heated. Two women overheard this and saw that things were getting out of hand, so they gave Steven and Dwayne a ride in their car back to where they had parked their car. While all four people were in the car driving down Dyer Street at around 3:00am, a car pulled up beside them. A man pulled out a pistol and fired multiple rounds into the car before speeding away. Everyone in the car was hit with bullets. The women were injured, Dwayne was shot in the leg, and Steven was shot multiple times. He was brought to Rhode Island Hospital where he tragically died from his injuries.
35-year-old Nigel A. Nichols, 35, formerly of Boston's Mattapan neighborhood, was serving four consecutive life sentences plus 40 years for the December 2009 shooting of three men sitting in their car at a red light when he was indicted in 2021 for Steven’s murder. He was charged with one count each of murder, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in death, discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, illegal possession of a firearm, three counts each of assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in injury.
Over the years that her son’s case was cold, Myra Latimer-Nicholas founded the Steven K. Latimer Memorial Foundation to support families who have lost a loved one to gun violence and to provide children impacted by gun violence with scholarships, because Steven loved school and loved to learn. The foundation held road races as fundraisers and has offered incredible support to families. Despite her grief, Myra pushed for change and justice for Steven and raised his young daughter Nevaeh.
Image sources:
police.boston.gov - “BPD Missing Person Alert Update: 41-year-old Reina Morales Rojas”
wpri.com - “Mother transforms grief into support system for families of violence victims”