A Dorchester man was resentenced for the 2011 fatal shooting of a Dorchester teen after his previous conviction was overturned, prosecutors said.
“The person responsible may be asking for another chance at life. But Jaivon will never get that chance. He will never turn 17. He will never become a man. He will never get to live out the dreams he had as a 16-year-old who loved basketball and life,” the victim’s mother, Diane Simmons, said in a victim impact statement read ahead of the sentencing.
The Suffolk County District Court, on Wednesday, sentenced Nyasani Watt, 32, to 14 to 17 years in state prison with credit for time served, the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a press release.
Watt pleaded guilty to manslaughter, armed assault to murder, and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury on March 4, the DA said. Jury selection for a retrial was scheduled to begin that day.
With his credit for time already served, Watt is immediately eligible for a parole hearing. If he is denied parole, the latest he will be released is November 2028, Hayden’s office said.
—
In November 2013, Watt was convicted of murder, armed assault to murder, assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, two counts of possessing a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without license, and possession of a large capacity firearm, court documents show.
Watt, who was 17 at the time of the fatal shooting, was initially sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years, the DA said.
In 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed his convictions after it determined that Watt was “denied the right to counsel,” the court wrote in its judgment. Prosecutors did not retry the gun charges.
—
Another man, Sheldon Mattis, was also convicted of murder in connection to the fatal shooting in 2013. Mattis, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, was initially sentenced to life without parole.
He brought a case to the SJC that led to a decision banning life without parole sentences for anyone who was 21 or younger at the time their crime was committed. Mattis is now serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
He has filed a second motion for a retrial to the Massachusetts Superior Judicial Court, claiming inadequate counsel, court documents show.
—
In September 2011, Jaivon Blake, 16, and Kimoni Elliot, 14, were walking to Blake’s home on Geneva Avenue when Watt biked behind the pair and fired six shots aimed at the boys, the DA said.
Blake was shot through his spine and fell to the ground, partially paralyzed. Blake’s brother rushed to the scene and found Blake gasping for air. Blake was transported to Boston Medical Center, where he later died on the operating table, Boston.com previously reported.
Elliot was shot in the neck and shoulder and managed to run away, Boston.com reported in 2013. Elliot survived the shooting but suffered “life-long injuries,” Hayden’s office said.
—
Prosecutors said Mattis and Watt were involved in a gang called Flatline, which was feuding with another gang in the area. The pair targeted the boys to send a “deadly message,” Boston.com previously reported.
Blake and Elliot had no connections to street gangs, Boston.com reported.
—
“I think it’s a very fair resolution. I hope it gave the family some sense of closure, rather than having a trial, which could have gone either way. He took responsibility for his conduct, he expressed remorse to the family for what happened, he expressed his sorrow for the life of Mr. Blake that was lost, and, from my perspective, I think this is the best result for the community,” Jason Benzaken, an attorney for Watt, told Boston.com.
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2026/03/11/man-resentenced-in-2011-slaying-of-dorchester-teen/