Charlestown Man Held Without Bail in February Murder Case

A Charlestown man has been ordered held without bail on charges alleging he broke into a Jerome Street home in February and shot two men.

Gerald Sullivan, 38, allegedly fatally shot Johnny Hatch at his 55 Jerome St. home on February 18 in a home invasion. A murder charge and 12 others were brought against him after investigators matched his DNA with that collected at the crime scene. A second suspect is still unidentified.

Sullivan was arraigned Monday morning at Middlesex County Superior Court in Woburn, where Judge Thomas Billings ordered him held without bail, according to a press release from the district attorney's office.

Wearing masks, Sullivan and the second suspect pushed through the door at 55B Jerome Street about 10 p.m. on February 18 and demanded cash and jewelry, prosecutors said in a previous statement.

A struggle ensued and one of the men fatally shot Johnny Hatch, 37, and severly injured his father, John Vieira, prosecutors said.

Medford and State police collected DNA evidence at the scene and found three identical samples, prosecutors said. The DNA was run through the national Combined DNA Index System, and it turned up as a match to Sullivan.

Vieira was the victim of a robbery while staying at a home on Water Street about three months earlier, Medford Police Chief Leo Sacco said during a meeting with Medford city councilors in March.

Sacco said the two incidents could be connected, and also hinted DNA evidence could lead investigators to the suspects.

"Hopefully DNA will help us solve (the) matter," Sacco said at the time. "But at this point it's pretty strictly an evidentiary case."

Sullivan was indicted by a Middlesex County Grand Jury in June. He was arrested on July 12 in New York after completing a federal parole violation sentence, the press release said.