Mother Says 18-Year-Old Yoseliani Marte Was Fatally Shot in Domestic Violence

Q: Police haven't declared it a homicide. What else could explain the teen's fatal gunshot wound inside the rental?

Yes. Until the medical examiner rules the manner of death, possibilities other than homicide remain on the table, most notably suicide or an accidental shooting. Authorities have confirmed only the cause of death so far: a single gunshot wound. The Suffolk District Attorney’s office said no arrests have been made, and the manner of death is still pending further forensic testing. That is why police can assign the case to the homicide unit for investigation without yet officially classifying it as a homicide; homicide detectives often handle suspicious or unexplained deaths until the evidence is clear. In gun-death classifications used by the CDC, the main alternatives to homicide are suicide, accidental shooting, deaths involving law enforcement, and undetermined circumstances. In this case, there is no public indication of police involvement, so the realistic non-homicide possibilities are self-inflicted gunshot, an unintentional discharge, or a case that remains undetermined if the evidence is inconclusive. Investigators typically look at autopsy findings, gunshot trajectory, gunshot residue, the location of the weapon, witness statements, phone records, and any signs of struggle or forced entry before making that call. Marte’s mother has publicly said she believes her daughter was killed in domestic violence, but that is an allegation, not an official finding. For now, the death remains an open investigation rather than a formally declared homicide.

3 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 21

Elenie Ocasio identified the 18-year-old found dead Saturday in a Mattapan home as Yoseliani Marte and said her daughter was killed in domestic violence.
Boston police found Marte with a gunshot wound in a bedroom at 25 Malta St. after a call shortly before 2 p.m., but authorities still have not publicly identified her or said whether the death is officially a homicide.
No arrests have been made, and the homicide unit is leading the investigation; police also said there is "absolutely nothing" linking the shooting to the property's owners, Representative Ayanna Pressley's husband Conan Harris and Pressley.
More than $10,000 had been raised for Marte's family by Tuesday, while mourners left candles, balloons and Doritos at the home and friends said she had planned to attend college.