Two Area Men Indicted for 2008 Double Murder in Taunton.
Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney
Press Release
October 2, 2016
Two area men have been indicted in connection to the previously unsolved February 2008 shooting homicide of Taunton brothers Kevin and Shawn Vargas, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
A Bristol County Grand Jury has indicted Keith Cox, 26, of Berkley, on two counts of murder and two counts of armed robbery. Mr. Cox, will be arraigned in Fall River Superior Court on Monday.
The grand jury also indicted Matthew Lander, 28, of Swansea, on two counts of murder and one count of armed robbery. Mr. Lander will be arraigned on a date yet to be set by the court.
On February 24, 2008, at around 2:15 p.m. Taunton Police responded to a report of shots fired at a studio apartment attached to a two-story residence at 729 Somerset Avenue in Taunton. Responding officers found both Kevin Vargas, 23, and Shawn Vargas, 21, shot to death inside the apartment. Also found inside the apartment were Shawn Vargas’ 4-yea-old and 2-year-old sons. Both children were uninjured.
For the past eight-and-a-half years, State Police Trooper Christopher Dumont of the Bristol County District Attorney’s State Police Unit spearheaded the investigation with assistance from homicide unit prosecutors and Taunton Police Detectives.
Although two defendants have now been indicted for the murders of the Vargas Brothers, the investigation into the homicide remains active and ongoing at this time.
Because the defendants have yet to be arraigned, this office is unable to provide further information or comment publicly on the case today. More information on the facts of the ongoing probe will be provided during tomorrow’s arraignment in open court.
The arraignment will be handled by the Chief of District Attorney Quinn’s Homicide Unit, Dennis Collins.
“I am very pleased the grand jury returned indictments against these two defendants. Although the case is eight-and-a-half years old, our office never gave up on pursuing every lead in this ongoing investigation,” District Attorney Quinn said. “I would like to specifically acknowledge Trooper Christopher Dumont of my office’s state police unit for his perseverance and thank the victims’ family for their patience during the past eight-and-a-half years. I know it has been very difficult for them.”
Contacts:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
508-997-0711
774-292-9576—cell