Police tape

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A Western Massachusetts teenager has been charged with the murder of 19-year-old Brodie Slonski, a senior at Taconic High School in Pittsfield who had a promising future. 

Jaequan Spratling, 18, of Pittsfield, faces charges of murder and attempted robbery in the Oct. 26 attack, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said. Pittsfield police arrested him on Thursday following a 10-day investigation.

Police found Slonski inside a crashed white Honda HR-V on Parker Street. At first glance, it appeared he had crashed his vehicle, but as officers investigated, they found the teenager had suffered a single gunshot wound to his chest, the prosecutor said. 

Paramedics took him to Berkshire Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Slonski was a member of the Taconic golf and bowling teams, where he excelled. He won the 2024 Massachusetts State Bowling High School Division II championship, the school said. 

In the classroom, Slonski was enrolled in the school's metal fabrication program, and he hoped to make the trade a job once he graduated. 

Friends, family, and loved ones have posted multiple memorials to Slonski and the tragedy of his too-young death. 

District Attorney Timothy Shugrue thanked the community for their patience as police worked to identify and capture a suspect.

“While the police successfully arrested a perpetrator within ten days of the crime, I recognize that living with fear in your neighborhood is a harrowing experience,” Shugrue said. “There have been many sleepless nights in pursuit of solving Brodie’s murder. I am thankful to have such committed law enforcement in our county.”

The district attorney said the killing deeply affected the close-knit Morningside community.

“Brodie was murdered in the closeknit Morningside community. A community filled with families and small, locally owned businesses. The events that took place shook the neighborhood,” he said. “Such events in the Berkshires are fortunately rare; however, when they occur, they shatter not only families but also schools and our community at large. My heart is with Brodie’s parents and family.”