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On Thursday, Feb. 11, Brandon “B” Batiste, 33, of Springfield, and Calvin “Cutty” Roberson, 38, of Waterbury, Connecticut, were arrested on charges of kidnapping and murder, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Connecticut, said.
Specifically, the charges were: kidnapping resulting in death, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm. Batiste was apprehended in Georgia, while Roberson was picked up in Waterbury. Both are being detained, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Batiste and Roberson are accused of participating in the abduction and death of Francisco Roman, Jr. 28, a Chicopee man and father of three children.
On Dec. 26, 2020 around 9 p.m., Hartford Police and fire officials responded to Shultas Place on the Southside of Hartford for the report of a black 2010 Acura fully engulfed in flames.
Once the fire was out, investigators allegedly discovered the victim in the rear of the vehicle. Roman had been shot several times, which Connecticut’s Chief Medical Examiner determined was the cause of death.
It is alleged that on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, Batiste and Roberson kidnapped Roman in Massachusetts, killed him, and attempted to dispose of his body in Hartford, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
If found guilty, Batiste and Robinson would face possible sentences of life in prison or the death penalty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. No details were provided on how the death penalty could be invoked since Connecticut banned the practice in 2012.
Among the agencies involved in the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of Batiste and Roberson include the FBI, Massachusetts State Police, Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, Hartford Police, Chicopee Police, Springfield Police, Waterbury Police, and the U.S. ATtorney’s Office.
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