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Arthur Waters, of Springfield, was convicted of murder in the first degree, illegal possession of a firearm, kidnapping while armed with a firearm, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault & battery (two counts), and two counts of intimidation of a witness, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said.
Waters was accused of beating and threatening to kidnap a woman in May 2021 from her Lionel Benoit Road apartment in Springfield. The woman escaped the torment and flagged down a friend's car.
That was Abushante Jennings, 37, of Springfield.
Waters fired multiple shots as Jennings got out of the car to help the woman. Paramedics rushed Jennings to Baystate Medical Center, where he died from his wounds.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said he hopes the verdict provides "some degree of justice" for Jennings' family.
Waters faces life without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder conviction, Gulluni said.
Assistant District Attorney Katharine Johnston prosecuted the case.
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