BOSTON, MA — A 42-year-old Boston man has been charged with murder after a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian walking his dog on Commonwealth Avenue.
John Axelrod, 79, of Boston, was struck by a vehicle that entered the Commonwealth Avenue Mall at the intersection of Hereford Street at approximately 8:09 a.m. on Jan. 3.
Officers assigned to District D-4 responded to the scene and found Boston EMS providing medical treatment to Axelrod on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall walkway.
Axelrod was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.
The vehicle fled the scene after striking the pedestrian.
Officers obtained the vehicle’s registration information, and Boston Police Operations broadcast a description of the vehicle.
The Brookline Police Department subsequently located the unoccupied vehicle in Brookline.
William Haney, 42, of Boston, was arrested and charged with murder and cruelty to animals following an investigation by the Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the Brookline Police Department, in coordination with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Haney is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on Monday.
The Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit continues to actively investigate the incident.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470.
Community members may provide information anonymously through the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS, by texting “TIP” to CRIME (27463), or online at https://police.boston.gov/crimestoppers/.
