image description — Family members of the Pascual-Polanco brothers gather outside of Berkshire Superior on Thursday to speak to media after the two men were sentenced to life in prison.

Pascual-Polanco Brothers Sentenced to Life for 2019 Homicide

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:23PM / Thursday, October 06, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Chiry Omar Pascual-Polanco and Carlos Pascual-Polanco on Thursday were given life sentences without possibility for parole for the murder of 18-year-old Jaden Salois in 2019.

The brothers lured Salois, of Dalton, outside a Pittsfield home for a false drug deal and shot him in the back in the early morning hours on Jan. 20, 2019. Prosecutors say the killing was over allegations of stolen marijuana.

During the sentencing at Berkshire Superior Court, several of Salios' family members gave impact statements that detailed his kind disposition and hopes for the future. They said it was unfair for him to be robbed of it.

"A piece of me is gone that will never be replaced," his mother Megan Bernardini wrote.

"Over the past 3 1/2 years, me and my family have experienced endless sleepless nights and have had never-ending thoughts of why this happened to Jaden and why this happened to us," his cousin Brianna Crucitti said. "We still don't know why it happened to him or why it happened to us."

Family members of Chiry Omar, 26, and Carlos, 22, called the verdict is an injustice, arguing that there was not sufficient provable evidence and that the brothers are innocent.

They did not speak at the sentencing but offered statements to iBerkshires afterward.

Sister Marisela Pascual knew that she and her brothers had "no fighting chance" for their lives in this community and said it is clear that they didn’t commit the crime.

"That didn't matter to the jury who made the deliberations in under six hours," Pascual added. "Obvious to say, they had their minds made up."

Their mother Maribel Polanco said the verdict is a "big injustice" and racism against her children, arguing that it was decided on because they have a Hispanic last name.

Cousin Elina Estrella said the case showed a lot of circumstantial evidence that was not concrete and pointed to a lack of diversity on the jury. She believes that if Salois was a person of color and her cousins were white, it "would have been a different story."

Last month, the brothers were found guilty of murder in the first degree by a Berkshire Superior Court jury following a two-week trial that saw the prosecution call 30 witnesses. They were also found guilty on two counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card, two counts of possession of ammunition without an FID, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

The two were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Cedar Junction in South Walpole.

The other counts carry a sentence of two years in the Berkshire County House of Corrections and one carries a sentence of five years in the state correctional facility.

A third co-defendant, Dasean Smith, 24, of Pittsfield, is also charged with murder and will be tried separately.

"I send my condolences to Jaden's loved ones, and I admire their courage in delivering their powerful victim impact statements to the court. Jaden is gone but lives on in the hearts of those who loved him, and I hope this measure of accountability supports his family," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.

"I thank the Pittsfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police for their investigation into this senseless homicide, and I am proud of the trial team for their presentation of the facts to the jury."

Salois' grandmother said he had gotten in with the wrong crowd and that his family always hoped that he would realize that this life wasn't going to work out for him. She said they spent a lot of time talking on the phone about how to improve his circumstances prior to his death.

"He had hopes and dreams like we all do. A future life with marriage and children. He knew we wanted to be a dad," Salois' other grandmother said.

"He knew he wanted to have God in his life and I would take him to every church in the city until he found one that he felt comfortable with. He never had a chance to do that because time ran out for him."

Tags: murder,

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Adams Community Bank and Pittsfield Cooperative Bank Officially Become Trailmark Bank

Staff Reports11:20AM / Tuesday, November 03, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Adams Community Bank and Pittsfield Cooperative Bank announced the successful legal closing of their merger, marking a milestone in the formation of Trailmark Bank.

The merger officially took effect on Nov. 1, 2026, bringing the two longstanding community banks together as one financial institution under the Trailmark Bank name.

The legal closing follows receipt of all required regulatory and governance approvals, including approvals from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Massachusetts Division of Banks.

"Today marks an exciting new chapter for our employees, customers and communities," said Julie Fallon Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of Trailmark Bank. "Trailmark Bank brings together two community banks with deep roots in the Berkshires, shared values and a longstanding commitment to the people and communities we serve. We are proud of what each bank brings to this partnership and excited about what we can accomplish together."

Trailmark Bank is an independent, community-focused bank with approximately $1.5 billion in assets, nearly 200 employees and full-service banking locations across Berkshire County. The merger combines the resources, expertise, and capabilities of two established community banks while preserving the personalized service, strong relationships and local decision-making customers have long valued, stated a press release.

Beginning Nov. 1, Adams Community Bank and Pittsfield Cooperative Bank will operate as divisions of Trailmark Bank. The combined bank will officially open for business as Trailmark Bank on Monday, Dec. 7, with customers gaining access to all branch locations across Berkshire County.

Until then, customers should continue banking as usual through their existing Adams Community Bank or Pittsfield Cooperative Bank locations and systems, using their current checks, debit and ATM cards, online and mobile banking, and other banking services. Late fall, customers will receive detailed information outlining important dates, what to expect and any actions they may need to take.

"The legal merger is an important milestone, but it is also another step in a carefully planned transition," said Gregg Levante, President of Trailmark Bank. "Our focus throughout this process has been making the transition as smooth as possible for our customers while building a stronger community bank for the future. Trailmark Bank gives us greater resources and capabilities while preserving something that matters tremendously to us—the ability to make decisions locally and remain deeply connected to the Berkshires."

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