TAUNTON, Mass. (TCN) — Two men have been taken into custody and charged with murder for allegedly playing a role in the shooting deaths of two brothers in 2008.
The Taunton Daily Gazette reports Steven Fordham and Kaylen Scott were arrested June 27 following a long investigation into the killings of 23-year-old Kevin Vargas and 21-year-old Shawn Vargas.
Fordham and Scott are not the only ones charged in connection with the Vargas brothers’ death. In May 2021, a man named Keith Cox pleaded guilty to manslaughter armed robbery, while four months later, a jury acquitted another alleged co-conspirator for murder and other charges.
Investigators reportedly believe Shawn Vargas and Kevin Vargas were partaking in a marijuana deal with the suspects, but it turned into a deadly robbery.
According to the Taunton Daily Gazette, Kevin Vargas and Shawn Vargas were found dead in a rented room at an apartment in Taunton on Feb. 24, 2008. Kevin Vargas’ 2-year-old and 4-year-old sons were inside the apartment when the shooting occurred but were not injured. Shawn Vargas’ daughter was born several months after he died.
WCVB-TV reports Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn thanked the Vargas family for their “patience during the past 16 years.”
Both suspects pleaded not guilty and are being held without bail.
MORE:
- ‘Never give up praying’: Family reacts to arrests in Taunton double murder cold case – Taunton Daily Gazette
- 2 Massachusetts men arrested in connection with murders of 2 brothers 16 years ago – WCVB
- Search for killers intensifies, 10/3/2008 – Taunton Daily Gazette