Third Man Sentenced for Granny’s Field Death

Carlos Medina, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in state prison for his involvement in the fight that led to the death of 51-year-old homeless man Richard Boden in September 2013.

At the request of his family, Boden was taken off life support on October 14, 2013, after succumbing to injuries stemming from an assault that occurred a month earlier in which he was beaten unconscious in Granny’s Field behind the Turnpike Shopping Center.

Medina and the other two defendants, Jonathan Andrade, 21, and Roman Romero, 19, originally pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder in January 2014, but changed their pleas in January 2015. Under an agreement reached with the District Attorney’s Office, all three men pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter, with Medina accepting a mandatory six-year sentence for his participation. Last month, Andrade and Romero were sentenced to six years and three years, respectively, for their involvement in Boden’s death. Had Medina and the others not switched their pleas, they could have faced terms between 15 years and life in prison.

During the earlier sentencings of Andrade and Romero, both the prosecutor and defense attorneys acknowledged that while a motive for the assault remained unclear, each of the three men and Boden himself were intoxicated the night of Boden’s death. No evidence exists that indicates the death of Boden was gang-related. According to Deedrea Edgar, Medina’s attorney, “the whole situation was a horrible incident that was unplanned.”

Explaining why Medina didn’t accept a deal that would have potentially meant a lighter sentence, as the other two defendants had, Edgar said that “was very sorry he was involved in that situation. . . There was certainly no intention of getting into an argument.” Continuing, Edgar said the evidence indicated that Medina “never intended to harm anyone, [but] he was there, and he just wanted to take responsibility for his involvement.” She added that she and Medina didn’t want to put Boden’s family through a prolonged case. “We certainly feel very sad for the family,” Edgar said. “No one deserves to lose a loved one.”

Deputy District Attorney Anthony Davis said he was satisfied with the outcome of the case but that “there is no prison sentence that will bring Richard Boden back.” He thanked Boden’s family for their “perseverance and patience in the midst of this most difficult process.”