Marcus Hill, 31, was shot and killed outside a Mattapan barbershop on June 14, 2016, after bringing his young son there for a haircut. The child remained inside the shop; Hill’s family and friends described him as a devoted father whose life was cut short by a daylight attack that shocked the community.

William Omari Shakespeare was arrested and, after a trial, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Hill’s family spoke at sentencing about their loss. That conviction was overturned by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in November 2023, which ordered a new trial because the trial judge had excluded grand jury testimony by another man, Mark Edwards, whom the defense identified as the possible shooter. Edwards, who had been at the barbershop and whose grand jury statements contained inconsistencies, was himself murdered in 2017 and could not testify at the trial.

The court ruling reopens who is ultimately responsible for Marcus Hill’s death. Did anyone see Hill or the barbershop area that afternoon, or know more about Mark Edwards’s presence there?