Suspect in 2018 murder won't stand trial until 2022
Jul. 12—SALEM, Mass. — A Haverhill man charged with murdering a man in a 2018 drive-by shooting won't be going on trial until next year.
A March 14 trial date was scheduled Monday in Superior Court for Eddy Manuel Almonte, 30.
Almonte was charged in the May 17, 2018, shooting death of Nike Colon, 20.
Court closures and regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant delays in local courts. With restrictions loosening now, jury trials and other court dates are being scheduled in Essex County.
Colon, of Haverhill, was in the passenger seat of a vehicle at the corner of Washington and Shepherd streets when he was shot by someone in a passing vehicle, authorities said.
Medflighted to a Boston hospital, Colon was later pronounced dead.
Almonte was later captured in Winchester, Virginia, after he was pulled over during a motor vehicle stop unrelated to the murder investigation. He was then extradited to Massachusetts to face the murder charge.
Officials have said the murder was gang-related.
Almonte was also previously charged with armed assault to murder following a June 2016 shooting in the same neighborhood. However, he walked free after the charges against him were dropped five months later due to lack of cooperation of witnesses, according to court records.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
