Berkshire Grand Jury Returns Indictments in Delacruz-Batista, Tatro Murders

05:29PM / Friday, July 29, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A grand jury has returned indictments against five defendants on charges related to the murder of Reymon Delacruz-Batista and against one defendant for the homicide of Jillian Tatro.

In the Delacruz-Batista homicide, the grand jury returned indictments of Jamel Nicholson, Timothy McFadden, Naquan Miller and Anthony Robertson for murder and other charges. The grand jury also returned an indictment of Melissa Perrea for obstruction of justice and destruction of documents and objects.

Berkshire Superior Court will arraign all of the defendants in the coming weeks.

Hunters discovered Delacruz-Batista's body in the Pittsfield State Forest early on Dec. 4, 2021. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that he died because of multiple gunshot wounds.

Nicholson faces charges of murder, armed kidnapping with serious bodily injury, accessory before the fact, accessory after the fact, and two counts of illegal possession of a firearm.

McFadden faces charges of murder, armed kidnapping with serious bodily injury, two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, and two counts of illegal possession of a loaded firearm.

Miller faces charges of murder, armed kidnapping with serious bodily injury, accessory before the fact, accessory after the fact, and description of documents and objects.

Robertson faces charges of murder, armed kidnapping with serious bodily injury, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, and two counts of illegal possession of a loaded firearm.

In Jillian Tatro homicide, the grand jury returned a murder indictment against Luis Rosado. Berkshire Superior Court will arraign him on Aug. 4.

North Adams Police and Northern Berkshire Emergency Medical Services discovered Tatro deceased inside a home on Charles Street in North Adams on May 29. Rosado, her husband of five months, was charged with stabbing her to death.

The State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office is investigating both homicides.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

In Central Berkshire District Court this week, the District Attorney's Office obtained a guilty verdict in the jury trial of Timothy Smithies for breaking and entering. The commonwealth proved to a jury that Smithies broke into a Pittsfield garage in June 2020. The court sentenced Smithies to serve nine months at the House of Correction.

Tags: murder,

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Mass Voters Retain Recreational Cannabis, Tighten Gun Laws in Midterms

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
11:30AM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Massachusetts resoundingly voted to keep recreational cannabis and tighten gun laws during the midterm election on Tuesday.

The Democratic Berkshire delegation was re-elected without contest, and unofficial results show Democratic incumbent Maura Healey taking more than 62 percent of the vote for Massachusetts governor over Republican challenger Michael Minogue.

This coincides with the blue tsunami seen nationally during the midterms, with Democrats flipping seats across the United States and taking control of the House and Senate.

Pittsfield has roughly 10 cannabis dispensaries, alongside several other retail operations and cultivation facilities in Berkshire County. At least three-quarters of the state voted against repealing the legalization that was passed 10 years ago.

According to unofficial results, 46.89 percent of registered Pittsfield voters went to the polls. Pittsfield's 33,934 registered voters cast 15,913 votes, according to these results.

As of Wednesday morning, with more than 85 percent of ballots counted, almost 76 percent of voters opposed Question 8, that would repeal the laws that legalize, regulate, and tax the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana in Massachusetts. It was proposed by an initiative petition.

Similarly, as of 10 a.m., 67 percent of Massachusetts voters have said "yes" on Question 9, which sustains several changes to Massachusetts laws governing firearms: adding school administrators and licensed healthcare providers as parties permitted to ask a court to issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order if an individual is a present danger to self or others, imposing penalties for possessing, creating, and transferring untraceable "ghost gun" firearms, and more.

"At a time when the federal government is focused on the priorities of the gun lobby and rolling back national protections, the people of Massachusetts have reaffirmed our commitment to keeping our residents safe through proven, common-sense regulations," American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Jessica Tang said in a statement released late on Tuesday evening.

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