11–13 year prison sentence for Dorchester man convicted of 2022 manslaughter
BOSTON, January 3, 2025 – A Dorchester man was sentenced to more than a decade in prison today on a voluntary manslaughter charge connected to the 2022 stabbing death of Ronald Jamiel Reed, 33, during a family gathering and the non-fatal stabbing of a second man, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
Judge Christopher Belezos sentenced RAYMOND CASTRO, 45, to 11 to 13 years in prison on the manslaughter charge followed by four years of probation on an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon charge. Belezos also ordered Castro to engage in anger management before release and to undergo random drug testing and substance abuse evaluation and treatment as necessary.
A jury convicted Castro of the charges on November 21.
On January 26, 2022, Castro was removed from a relative’s home on Rockville Park in Roxbury following a dispute with family members. The situation escalated into a physical altercation between Castro and his cousin.
The surviving victim, who is both a neighbor and family friend of Reed’s, attempted to diffuse the situation. Castro displayed a knife and approached his cousin, but then redirected toward the surviving victim and stabbed him in the left flank.
Hearing the commotion, Reed came outside to assist. Reed was returning to his home when Castro approached and stabbed him in the chest. Castro then fled the scene. Investigators learned that Castro was wearing a GPS monitoring device during the incident.
Castro’s cousin was not injured.
During today’s sentencing, Judge Belezos read the below victim impact statement authored by Ronald Jamiel Reed’s sister.
“Thank you, your honor, for giving me the opportunity to speak. Jamiel was my savior, my hero. I never imagined I would have to bury my brother at such a young age. I thought we would grow old together, and I would keep annoying him like little sisters do. That tragic incident changed everything for me. The future we had talked about, the life we envisioned, was shattered. Jamiel was an incredible person—someone you could talk to about anything, someone you could count on no matter what. He was always there to help, and that love and loyalty were the foundation of our bond. We grew up with very little, but we had each other, and that was everything. Washing the street in 39-degree weather to clean his blood broke me. Planning his funeral broke me. And raising my son without the best male role model I could have asked for has broken me. I didn’t just lose my older brother—I lost my best friend, my confidant. He was the one who pushed me to chase my dreams when I was scared, the one who stepped in when I shut down, and the one who listened when all I needed was an ear. I respectfully ask that the defendant receive the maximum sentence. I hope this time allows him to reflect and grow into a better person. Unlike my brother, he still has the chance to be a father, a grandfather, and a noble man.”
Hayden thanked Reed’s sister for her “courageous and heartbreaking” statement.
“This survivor’s poignant words make perfectly clear the lifelong impacts of losing a loved one to violence. While the judicial process may end with a conviction and a sentencing, the pain felt by survivors is eternal,” 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