LOWELL — As officers escorted alleged murderer Timmy Chan into the courtroom on Thursday morning, the mother of his alleged victim, 20-year-old Nathaniel Fabian, broke down into tears as she sat in the courtroom gallery.
The still-grieving mother, Stacey Braley, said afterward that she had hoped Chan would face her as he walked into the courtroom.
“I wanted him to see my face and I wanted to see his,” said Braley, who keeps a trinket containing Fabian’s ashes around her neck. “I wanted to know if he felt any sorrow or guilt for what he did.”
Chan, 21, of Lowell, charged with crimes including first-degree murder for allegedly gunning down Fabian in October 2021, was in Middlesex Superior Court on Thursday for his final pretrial conference. His trial is slated to begin with jury impanelment on April 29.
If convicted, Chan faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During the conference held before Judge Robert Ullman, Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Ashlee Mastrangelo provided background of the evidence set to be presented during the trial. Mastrangelo and Assistant District Attorney Christopher Tarrant are prosecuting the case.
The shooting occurred shortly before 10:30 p.m. Oct. 13, 2021, in the area of Loring and Westford streets, outside the home of one of Fabian’s friends. Lowell Police reports state responding officers discovered Fabian on the ground, in an alleyway near 89 Loring St. He had a wound to the right side of his chest and the left rear side of his back, according to police. The Lowell resident was rushed to Lowell General Hospital’s Main Campus, where he was pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes later.
Chan, who was 19 at the time, was apprehended by police the following night.
The night of the shooting, Fabian had been involved in a dispute with multiple people, including his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Chum, of Lowell, as well as Chan. Fabian was dating another female at the time of the conflict, and that female had become the target of Chum’s ire, according to Mastrangelo.
“Samantha and her friends began sort of bullying this girl online, torturing her, calling her different names … sort of derogatory names about her,” Mastrangelo said during the conference.
The female Fabian was dating contacted Fabian and asked him if he could get Chum and the other people allegedly harassing her to leave her alone.
“That sort of sparks among many group chats … quite a bit of inflammatory and enraged arguments over the course of the evening,” Mastrangelo said.
A police report states there were “numerous threatening messages” sent by Chum to Fabian via text “to the effect ‘You or (Fabian’s girlfriend) is gonna die, which one is it gonna be.’”
Police reports state Chum later told police she had texted with Fabian between 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Police said Fabian was shot “by approximately 10:28 pm.”
Chum told police that she texted people the night of the shooting — including sisters Izzy (identified in police reports as Chan’s girlfriend) and Mirenda Lach, and Jesse “Dia” Segal Wright — informing them of her issues with Fabian. Police added, however, that Chum denied “all knowledge of sending anyone to hurt Nathaniel and denied asking or suggesting anyone to do anything of the sort.”
Police said they additionally spoke to Fabian’s girlfriend — whose name is redacted from reports — who told them just before Fabian was shot he had sent her screenshots of threatening messages people were sending him.
The messages were from Chan, Chum, Wright and Brian Lach, of Lowell, who was 21 at the time. Police identified Brian Lach as the brother of Izzy and Mirenda Lach. The messages included demands that Fabian come outside his friend’s home in the 300 block of Westford Street, which belonged to Ivan Correa.
Police said Wright admitted to them that she drove Chan and Brian Lach to the area of Westford Street, but claimed she “thought they were going there to fight Nathaniel.”
Wright allegedly dropped Chan and Brian Lach off by Leroy and Grove streets, while she circled the block. According to police, Wright said she heard gunshots prior to picking Chan and Brian Lach up by Westford Street and Dover Park.
According to police reports, when investigators showed Wright a photo of Chan during questioning, she positively identified him and quoted him as allegedly saying, “I got him, I got him,” when he got back into the car.
Police said Brian Lach told them during questioning that he was aware Chum and Fabian’s girlfriend were having a feud, and he claimed that Fabian had threatened to shoot his house. Brian Lach also told police, according to a report, that he thought he was going to fistfight Nathaniel. However, police said Brian Lach alleged that Chan showed him a handgun before the shooting occurred.
Brian Lach told police that Chan was walking a few feet ahead of him as they approached two men, who turned out to be Fabian and Correa. Brian Lach alleged hearing Chan say, “he might have something — take off,” at which point he saw Chan raise the handgun and fire. Brian Lach said he heard several gunshots as he fled.
Wright picked them up with the vehicle a short time later.
“Brian asked Timmy where the gun was because he didn’t want it in the car,” police said in the report. “Timmy said he got rid of it.”
While talking about the case in the past, Chan’s attorney, Jeffrey Sweeney, said self-defense played a role in the shooting. Sweeney explained after the shooting occurred, Correa is seen in surveillance footage going back up to his apartment. Sweeney said police later searched Correa’s apartment, where they discovered a firearm.
Police reports state that when Chan first spoke to authorities, he admitted he and Brian Lach went to meet up to fight Fabian, but “Nathaniel showed up with something he thought was a rifle wrapped in a blanket.” When Chan was asked by police if he actually saw a rifle, Chan said, “no but he was carrying it like one,” police reports state.
No charges have been brought against any of the others involved in the case, much to the dismay of members of Fabian’s family.
“It’s not right that they destroyed all our lives and they get to live theirs with no worries,” Alecia Brangan, Fabian’s aunt, has previously said. “They’re all going on with their lives, their careers and we can’t do anything about it.”
In addition to murder, Chan is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, and carrying a loaded firearm without a license.
Jury impanelment is expected to be completed within two days, with jury instructions and opening statements scheduled to begin either April 30 or May 1. The case is expected to wrap up late in the week of May 6.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis
Aaron Curtis
Source link
