Fall River and New Bedford men sentenced to prison for murdering Taunton man

After being convicted after a 6-day jury trial in the Fall River Superior Court late last month, Jerome Middleton of Fall River and Khaylon Cruz of New Bedford were sentenced Wednesday afternoon for First-Degree Murder (under theories of extreme atrocity and cruelty and felony murder) and Armed Robbery for the brutal slaying of Justin Paulo on January 5, 2019, in the City of Taunton.

Superior Court Justice Rene Dupuis sentenced Cruz to serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole for First Degree murder and will serve a 6-10-year on an after sentence for Armed Robbery.

Dupuis sentenced Middleton, who is serving a state prison sentence of 9-12 years for an unrelated Armed Robbery, to serve a life sentence with parole eligibility at 30 years for First Degree Murder.  This sentence will be served from and after the 9–12-year state prison sentence.  On the Armed Robbery, Middleton, was sentenced to serve 6–10-years in state prison which will run from and after the 9–12-year sentence and the First-Degree murder sentence.

According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, on January 5, 2019, at approximately 11:00 p.m., the Taunton Police were dispatched to 9 Wilson Street for a male being attacked in the yard.  The male who was attacked was identified as 31-year-old Justin Paulo, who had been transported from the scene by family members. Paulo had been stabbed and robbed of his gold chain.  He was pronounced deceased a short time after arrival at Rhode Island Hospital. 

Surveillance video from a ring doorbell camera at 9 Wilson Street captured significant portions of the attack committed by two suspects who were later identified as, at the time, 24-year-old Khaylon Cruz and 19-year-old Jerome Middleton.  Both defendants fled the scene but reconnected a short time later at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, where Middleton initially had gone for medical treatment he sustained as a result of the attack on Justin Paulo.  Both defendants left Charlton Memorial Hospital together. 

A knife was recovered from the crime scene which contained the DNA of both Justin Paulo and defendant, Jerome Middleton.   

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Walsh and Jason Mohan.

“This was a brutal murder that occurred during a violent armed robbery in which the victim resisted his attackers.  A good portion of the incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera which highlights the critical importance of technology in solving violent crimes.  I want to thank the prosecution team for their efforts in putting this case together which resulted in a significant conviction, “District Attorney Quinn said.