No bail in Salem murder case
The suspect accused of murdering a freshman on the Salem State University men’s basketball team early Wednesday is being held without bail.
Missael Peña Canela, 18, of Salem, pleaded not guilty to shooting and killing Carl-Hens Beliard, of Worcester, during an arraignment at Salem District Court yesterday.
Authorities arrested Canela on the murder charge Wednesday evening, less than 24 hours after they found Beliard, 18, inside a vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound blocks away from campus.
Emergency responders took Beliard to Salem Hospital where medical personnel pronounced him dead.
A female inside the vehicle at the time shots were fired is said to have had an “on-again, offagain relationship” with Canela, according to prosecutor Erin Bellavia, assistant district attorney for Essex County.
Bellavia said investigators found that Canela smashed the female’s phone in September and the suspect “indicated he was looking for the female party in the area of the stolen car.”
“He believed it to be her inside of it,” Bellavia said, “and then fired the shots when the male party, the victim in this case, attempted to drive the vehicle forward, away from this defendant.”
Salem Police responded to a report of a shooting and car crash in the area of 22 Forest Ave., near a university student parking lot, at about 1:24 a.m. Wednesday, hours after Halloween festivities had ended.
Canela will next appear for a probable cause hearing Dec. 1.
Beliard lived on campus and was preparing for his first season on the university’s varsity basketball team. The Vikings travel to Colby Sawyer in New Hampshire for their first game next Wednesday.
Assistant coach David Babb attended Canela’s arraignment, he said, to gain “clarity and resolution” on the incident that claimed the life of one of his players, whom he conducted offseason workouts for.
“Carl’s been with us now for five, six weeks — happy kid, loved by all of us, always smiling,” Babb said. “It shocked us.”
Coaches got together with the players on Wednesday to let them decide how they want to deal with the tragedy. They stopped by the scene of the shooting and helped create a growing memorial of candles, flowers, balloons, a basketball and a teddy bear.
“Not really,” Babb said when asked whether he’s surprised by the impact that Beliard had on his teammates and coaches in such a short time. “He picks up everybody, smiles. He’s very comfortable with everybody. That’s why I’m so stunned.”
The community has rallied together to support the Beliards, evidenced by two GoFundMe accounts that have raised more than $9,000 combined for funeral services and arrangements as well as for other expenses for the family.
Gov. Maura Healey, at an unrelated news conference Thursday, said her “heart aches for Carl’s family, for his little brothers and sisters.” She and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, college basketball players themselves, met Beliard when he and his Worcester North teammates stopped by the State House in the spring to celebrate winning the state title.
The Polar Bears’ upcoming season will be dedicated to Beliard,
according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Their support for their beloved former teammate will be seen as they’ll wear a patch with his No. 20 on their jerseys, and pregame appear will include photo of a highflying Beliard on the front with the word “Brotherhood” on the back
“He was excited about going to college. He was excited about playing college ball,” Healey said of Beliard. “So I was just horrified when I heard the news that he had been killed, killed in such a violent, senseless way, and killed at a time in his life he should have every opportunity available to him.”