'Heinous, gruesome': Brockton driver deliberately hit pedestrian in fatal crash, DA says

BROCKTON — The Brockton driver who struck a pedestrian before beating him with a brick was ordered held without bail in Brockton District Court on a murder charge.

Vasco Semedo, 45, of Brockton, was arrested and charged with murder after he allegedly struck a pedestrian twice with his blue Toyota Rav 4 before he exited the vehicle and struck the victim in the head with a brick 20 times, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said at Semedo's arraignment Monday morning.

The victim, later identified as 50-year-old Stuart Smith, died of his injuries later that night.

Semedo, who pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and one count of negligent operation of a vehicle, was ordered held without bail by Judge Michael Vitali.

“It’s a very gruesome, very heinous act,” said District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz. “Especially when you hit someone in the head area over 20 times with a brick.”

Victim's brothers, best friend charged Victim's brother held without bail in Brockton killing — Police search for 3rd brother

The ‘gruesome’ attack

The brazen attack occurred in broad daylight at approximately 8:53 a.m. Saturday morning at 65 North Main St. in Brockton, Cruz said.

According to Sprague, Semedo told Brockton police that he had been out with friends drinking at a bar the night before the attack and arrived home at around 3 a.m. He left his home again at 7 a.m. to go to work.

A few hours later, surveillance video footage shows that Semedo, who was driving a blue Toyota Rav 4, appears to stop for a pedestrian who can be seen walking across the street, according to Sprague. Just as the pedestrian is about to clear the SUV, he is struck by Semedo’s Toyota.

According to Sprague, the pedestrian can be seen, injured and dazed, struggling to get up and walk away. The Toyota then appears to back up and hit the victim a second time, she said.

The Toyota backs up again before crashing into a nearby building, causing debris to fall on the SUV.

The driver of the Toyota, later identified as Semedo, appears to exit the Toyota, picks up a brick that had fallen on the vehicle, and strikes the victim in the head 20 times while he lays on the ground, according to Sprague.

Police located the victim, later identified as Smith, unresponsive on the pavement in front of the vehicle. He was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center before being flown to Massachusetts General Hospital where he died from his injuries at 10:34 p.m. Saturday night, the DA’s office said in a press release.

Parents helped him escape: DA Parents of Brockton murder suspect Kahmari T. Price helped him escape, prosecutor says

Brockton’s citizens step in

According to officials, witnesses at the scene pulled Semedo away from the victim and made sure he stayed on scene before he was arrested by Brockton Police.

“I commend the people that were at the scene that held the individual there until police got there. That’s an act of bravery, especially after a heinous event like that,” said Cruz.

The victim’s sister, who appeared for Semedo’s arraignment, also commented on the bravery of Brockton’s citizens.

“The community, the neighbors, everybody knew him and came to surround him and help him and kept the perpetrator there so he couldn’t leave. I think that speaks volumes to my brother’s character,” she said.

The investigation

According to police, Semedo had blood on his clothes and hands when they arrested him at the scene. When asked what the blood was from, Semedo allegedly froze and told officials he had “made a mistake” and that the blood was from the person he hit, according to Sprague.

When asked what happened, Semedo gave police several different versions of events, Sprague said.

According to Sprague, Semedo first told officials he was trying to park his car in front of the homeless shelter at 54 North Main St. when he accidently hit the gas and struck what he thought was a person or a dog. He later claimed it was a woman that he'd struck.

Semedo then told police he didn’t know who he hit, but that he had seen the person in the past, Sprague said. He changed his story again, according to Sprague, telling police he accidently hit the gas, hit a pole, and the person was standing near the pole.

Semedo denied hitting the victim with a brick, Sprague said.

According to Cruz, there was no evidence that Semedo was under the influence at the time of the attack and police are not aware of a previous relationship between the two.

Semedo considered a flight risk, held without bail

Sprague asked Judge Michael Vitali to hold Semedo without bail on the grounds that he is a flight risk.

According to Sprague, Semedo immigrated to the United States from Cape Verde two years ago. He is a legal U.S. citizen but continues to hold a valid Cape Verdean passport. The defense agreed to hold Semedo without bail.

According to officials, Semedo does not have a previous record. He is scheduled to appear for a probable cause hearing on May 14.

Who was the victim, Stuart Smith?

According to family, Smith was well known in the community of Brockton.

“At a young age he was hit by a car. As a result, he had a mental illness,” said Stuart’s brother, who attended Semedo’s arraignment. “Throughout his life he struggled to overcome that.”

Despite Smith’s struggles, his brother describes him as a "fun-loving, spirited guy."

“He was a beacon of light to his friends and family. A fun-loving, spirited guy that was well known in the community,” he said. “He’s been around [Brockton] a long time.”

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton driver charged with murder in crash that killed pedestrian