Pittsfield police seek help in murder probe

Pittsfield police are pleading for the public’s help in identifying the killer or killers responsible for the murder of a 22-yearold woman who was shot execution-style as she sat in her car last Monday in the Berkshire County city.

“This is not about ‘snitching,’ ‘ratting,’ or telling on someone,” cops wrote in a Facebook post Friday that has been shared well over 1,000 times. “This is not about your pride or your fear. It’s about justice. This is about doing what’s right, period.”

The victim, Asiyann Jones, 22, was found dead in her car at about 10:45 p.m. Oct. 2 with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Springfield Republican.

Police said they have received “hundreds” of tips and have been working “at all hours of the night” with every available investigator, detective and officer, to find the young woman’s killer. Police say there were witnesses to the crime, which took the life of “Yanna,” as she was known to friends and family.

“We know there were several witnesses, both involved and not involved, that we are asking to come forward,” Pittsfield police said. “If you were there that night, if you saw what happened, if you witnessed anything, if you KNOW, please come forward and do what is needed to bring justice for Yanna and her family.”

“The Pittsfield Police Department will not accept an outcome of anything less than to find and charge the person(s) responsible for Yanna’s death,” the Facebook post reads.

Pittsfield police declined to say last night whether the plea to the community had yielded any results.

“At this stage, it remains under investigation,” said Pittsfield Lt. Mike Maddalena. “We are continuing to follow up leads and making progress.”