Two indicted on murder charges in death of 17-year-old Nathan Paul; one 'remains at large'

QUINCY – Police  are searching for a man they say was involved in the murder of 17-year-old Nathan Paul in Quincy, who was shot earlier this year after a marijuana deal gone wrong in the city's Germantown neighborhood.

The Norfolk County District Attorney's Office said two 18-year-olds were indicted in the murder on Monday: Keniel Diaz-Romero and Jaivon Harris, both of Quincy. Harris has been in custody since his Quincy District Court arraignment on March 1, but Diaz-Romero "remains at large," District Attorney Michael Morrissey said.

“We are working with local, regional and federal law enforcement to find him and take him into custody,” Morrissey said in a statement.

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Both men were indicted on charges of murder, larceny from a person, possession of a counterfeit bill, uttering a counterfeit bill and conspiracy to commit larceny. Harris faces the additional indictment of misleading police. Diaz-Romero is also indicted on a charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm.

The indictment transfers the case from Quincy District Court to Norfolk Superior Court, where more serious charges are prosecuted and suspects can face longer sentences if convicted. A Superior Court arraignment date for Harris has not yet been set.

The district attorney's office initially sent a photo of Diaz-Romero to members of the media but then asked that it not be published. A spokesperson said posting the photo locally would do little good because Diaz-Romero is believed to be out of the area, and there is "advantage" to the investigation to keep the photo private.

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'He did not deserve to die like that'

Nathan Paul, a 17-year-old senior at Weymouth High School, died in February after he was shot in Germantown. At Harris' arraignment, prosecutors said a group conspired to lure Nathan to Germantown, buy marijuana vape cartridges from him with fake money and then rob him.

Paul was shot once in the leg while driving his car. He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Court documents paint a muddy picture of what happened to Nathan on the night of his death.

Prosecutors said juvenile witnesses, identified only by their initials, admitted to stealing vape cartridges from Paul, who then drove away and hit a snow bank. They told police they then heard someone say "shoot him."

Witnesses told police that the person who fired a gun into Paul's car – identified by the initials K.D.R. in court documents – was under 18. The shooter, who officials believe to be Keniel Diaz-Romero, then flew to Puerto Rico, authorities said.

“Whoever did this to my son, he did not deserve to die like that. He’s a very smart kid. He’s good at school, good at sports. Whoever did this, turn yourself in," Gregory Paul, Nathan's father, told Patriot Ledger media partner WCVB.

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: DA: Man 'remains at large' in death of Weymouth's Nathan Paul