FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 14, 2020
CONTACT: 781-897-8325

BILLERICA – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Billerica Chief of Police Daniel Rosa have announced that Steven Touch, 30 of Lynn, Sophan Keo, 32 of Beverly and Gabriel Arias, 27 of Lynn pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges this week in Middlesex Superior Court in connection with the 2012 Billerica homicide that resulted in the death of 22-year-old Quintin Koehler. The plea represents the conclusion of a case which involved the conviction of six men, who participated in a joint venture in order to steal cash and marijuana.

Judge Kenneth J. Fishman sentenced all three men to 10 years in State Prison on charges of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit armed robbery, with a concurrent four to five years on the charge of attempted armed robbery, and five years probation from-and-after on the charges of home invasion and conspiracy to commit home invasion.

Steven Touch was also sentenced to a concurrent five years in state prison on the charge of possession of a large capacity weapon in connection with an unrelated 2016 Everett arrest.

Gabriel Arias was also sentenced to a concurrent five to seven years on the charge of willfully misleading a police officer.

Conditions of probation for all defendants are to stay-away and have no contact (including third party contact) with all victims and witnesses, and family members of victims and witnesses.

“Multiple law enforcement agencies have worked diligently on this case over the past eight years,” said District Attorney Ryan. “Quintin Koehler is dead because six men put together a plan to force their way into a home then terrorize and rob the residents. For families, justice does not have a deadline and after many years we are hopeful that today marks the end of a long road for the loved ones of Mr. Koehler.”

“As these convictions mark the conclusion of the criminal case, our thoughts are again with the Koehler family. We are fully aware that these proceedings will never heal their pain but are hopeful that the successful closure of the investigation will allow them some sense of justice. I want to thank the Middlesex District Attorney, Marian Ryan and the team of investigators from Billerica Police and the Massachusetts State Police that spent many hours of hard work on this matter,” said Chief Rosa.

On July 7, 2012, at approximately 3:50 a.m., four men forced entry into a home at 795 Boston Road in Billerica, smashing the door from its hinges. Some of the men wore masks, and at least three of them were armed with handguns. When two occupants of the house resisted and tried to force them back out of the door of the home, one of the home invaders fatally shot a resident of the home, Quintin Koehler. The home invaders fled without completing their robbery plan.

The subsequent investigation by the Massachusetts State Police and the Billerica Police Department, including the identification and development of cooperating witnesses, cellular phone records analysis, cellular site location information, surveillance video analysis and DNA analysis of items recovered from the crime scene, revealed that the home invasion plot allegedly involved six men, who participated in a joint venture in order to steal cash and marijuana from the victims.

Included in the group were Adam Bradley, who organized the plot and recruited the participants; Jason Estabrook, who fought with the victims in the kitchen of the home where the attempted armed robbery took place; Peter Bin and Gabriel Arias; who allegedly carried firearms into the home; and Steven Touch and Sophan Keo, who allegedly provided transportation to and from the scene of the crime.

While awaiting trial, Adam Bradley wrote letters from jail asking known gang associates and acquaintances to have the prosecution’s cooperating witness killed to prevent the witness from testifying against him at trial.

Adam Bradley, 34, of Lynn was convicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Jury of first degree murder, home invasion, attempted armed robbery, possession of a firearm without a license and possession of ammunition in December 2017. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Jason Estabrook, 34, of Lynn, was convicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Jury of first degree murder, home invasion and attempted armed robbery in June of 2016. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Peter Bin, 30, of Peabody, was convicted by a Middlesex Superior Court Jury of first degree murder, home invasion and attempted armed robbery in December of 2014. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

The prosecutors assigned to this case were Assistant District Attorney David Solet, Chief of the Cold Case Unit, and Assistant District Attorney Jamie Charles. The Victim Witness Advocate was Meaghan McCarthy, and the paralegal was Kristina D’Ambra.

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Joins Statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Enforcement Effort

Billerica, MA – 8/19/19 – The Billerica Police Department will increase the number of impaired driving patrols on local roads with grant funds from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Office of Grants and Research (OGR). Billerica will join 140 other local police departments across the state in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement mobilization and public information campaign.
“Impaired drivers threaten the safety and lives of everyone around them,” said Chief Dan Rosa. “This grant will allow us to increase the number of patrols dedicated to identifying, stopping and removing drivers who are impaired by any substance.”
“The most important responsibility of anyone behind the wheel is to drive safely,” said Jeff Larason, Director of the OGR Highway Safety Division. “As summer vacation turns into back-to-school season, it’s important that motorists take seriously their responsibility to stay sober and alert.”

Massachusetts Data (2013-2017):
• Marijuana was the most prevalent drug found in drivers involved in fatal crashes.
• 11 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes were found with both alcohol and drugs in their system.
• 78 percent of impaired drivers in fatal crashes were men.
• 35 percent of drunk drivers involved in a fatal crash were 21-29 years old.
• The number of drivers involved in a fatal crash who were alcohol-impaired (BAC .08+) and had drugs in their system increased by 63 percent (35 to 57).
• From 2016 to 2017, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities decreased by 19 percent (148 to 120).

National Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
• Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers. On average, more than 10,000 people have died each year (2013 to 2017) in drunk-driving crashes. To put it in perspective, that’s equal to about 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors.
• In 2017, one person was killed every 48 minutes by a drunk driver on our nation’s roads.
• In 2017, almost one in five children (14 and younger) killed in traffic crashes were killed in drunk-driving crashes. Fifty-four percent of the time, it was the child’s driver who was drunk.
• Drugs were present in 43 percent of the fatally-injured drivers with a known test result in 2015, more frequently than alcohol was present.
• NHTSA’s 2013–2014 roadside survey found drugs in 22 percent of all drivers both on weekend nights and on weekdays.
• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects—slows reaction times, impairs cognitive performance, and makes it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.
• Mixing alcohol and marijuana may dramatically produce effects greater than either drug on its own.

To view the Highway Safety Division’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” TV spots, or for more information about the HSD’s educational campaigns, go to http://www.mass.gov/DriveSober