Verdicts Are In For Two Defendants In Nicholas Carnevale Shooting

Here's some late-breaking news from last evening and it's news that a lot of folks have been waiting for here in Berkshire County. Late Wednesday afternoon, verdicts were handed down against the first two defendants tried in the near-fatal shooting of Nicholas Carnevale.

According to a media statement from Andrew McKeever and the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, guilty verdicts were obtained on Wednesday against the first two defendants tried in the near-fatal shooting of Nicholas Carnevale.

After a two-week trial, a Berkshire Superior Court jury found Kevin Nieves, 22, of Pittsfield, and Daquan Douglas, 28, of Pittsfield guilty for their roles in shooting Carnevale on Aug. 21, 2018, at a party at the Ashley Reservoir on October Mountain.

The jury found Nieves guilty of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily harm, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, armed kidnapping with serious bodily injury, two counts of assault and battery, and a single count of malicious damage to a motor vehicle. The jury found Douglas guilty of misleading a police officer.

Nieves and Douglas are two of four accused of attacking then 19-year-old Carnevale, of Cheshire, which included pulling him from a vehicle, assaulting him, and then shooting him in the head. Douglas lied to police during the investigation. The cases against co-defendants Christopher Frazier and Luis Delvalle-Rodriguez related to the shooting are still pending.

Sentencing for Nieves and Douglas is scheduled for today by Judge John Agostini. In the media statement, District Attorney Andrea Harrington had this to say:

I am truly in awe of Nick’s strength during his long and difficult recovery from the injuries he sustained that night. He is an inspiration to our entire community, and I look forward to hearing about and seeing every milestone in his continued fight...I thank the State Police for their investigation into this horrific shooting and I am proud of my team for their comprehensive presentation of the facts for the jury to decide.