Man gets 9-to-11-year prison term in 2015 Brighton shooting death plea

BOSTON, April 18, 2023 – A Boston man was sentenced today to 9 to 11 years in prison for the shooting murder of a 34-year-old man in Brighton in 2015, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

GAMMADA MUSA, 33, pleaded guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Desmond Joseph late in the evening of October 22, 2015. At today’s sentencing Judge Robert Ullmann ordered Musa to serve 9 to 11 years in state prison on the charge.

Joseph’s seven-year-old daughter read a victim impact statement at the sentencing.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Hickman said Musa shot Joseph in the head, chest and back as Joseph was standing with his girlfriend at about 11:43 p.m. outside of the Charlesview residences at 124 Telford Street in Brighton.  Joseph was pronounced dead at the scene.  Musa ran away after firing the shots and was eventually identified by Joseph’s girlfriend.

Investigators believe the shooting was in retaliation for the 2005 non-fatal shooting of Musa’s older brother, which left the victim paralyzed.  Desmond Joseph was charged with that shooting but the case was dismissed when the sole identification witness could not be located for trial.

“If this was an attempt at vigilante justice, it ended up the same as all such attempts—with the assailant being charged, convicted and sentenced and nothing but heartache and loss for the victim’s family and friends and everyone else connected to the case,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications