‘This is tragic’: Texting while driving in Plymouth ends with murder, DA says

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A judge ordered 23-year-old David Jerome held without bail, after a minor traffic incident devolved into murder.

Jerome was arraigned Monday in Plymouth District Court on murder charges. Prosecutors said the 23-year-old shot Brent Berkeley multiple times Friday evening in a parking lot near downtown Plymouth. Jerome was allegedly using his phone just before the incident.

Man accused of shooting, killing another man in Plymouth parking lot to face a judge

“This defendant, by his own admission, was texting on his phone when he banged his vehicle into or rear-ended the victim’s vehicle,” said Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Kusmin. “There were words exchanged and some witnesses and this defendant indicate that Brent Berkeley did make physical contact, punching this defendant in the face.”

Kusmin said Jerome responded by shooting Berkeley multiple times in the chest and abdomen. But that wasn’t all.

“It is alleged that this defendant got out of his vehicle at that time, gun in hand, stood over the victim’s body, and fired multiple other rounds at that time,” Kusmin said.

Oddly, Kusmin said there seemed a sudden about-face. First Jerome walked away from the body, then returned, she said.

“And he proceeded to say, don’t leave me... don’t give up... something along those lines,” she said.

Kusmin said Jerome then tried to perform CPS on the man he had allegedly just shot.

Just before the fatal incident, Kusmin said Jerome was involved in another minor traffic situation. He was apparently driving the wrong way down a one-way street and encountered a pick-up. Jerome allegedly threatened the driver of that vehicle, saying something to the effect of putting him in a body bag.

During both these encounters, Kinsman said Jerome’s one-year-old son was in the back seat. He was unharmed.

One dead following a shooting in a Middle Street parking lot in Plymouth, police say

Jack Atwood, Jerome’s lawyer, is not quibbling with the prosecution’s narration of the case. But he’s waiting to view video evidence from the scene. His understanding, he said, is that many may have heard the shooting, but no one, thus far, claims to have seen it take place.

Atwood, who said he’s defended some 40 murder cases over the years, is looking into whether there was a self-defense motivation to the shooting, given Berkeley was said to have assaulted Jerome. Bottom line, he said, it’s a tragedy for all sides.

“Your husband goes out, your husband doesn’t come home,” he said. “You got two people just like that. One’s dead. The other’s facing life in prison. Every killing like this is tragic. There’s never a good killing.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW