A Mexican who entered the US illegally faces life in prison after pleading guilty to killing a crew member in 2018 and attacking two others with a hammer aboard a scallop boat off the coast of Massachusetts.
Franklin Freddie Meave Vasquez, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon during a hearing last Wednesday in federal court in Boston.
The Mexican citizen is expected to be sentenced on June 28 by US District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs. He can receive life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for murder and a maximum sentence of 20 years for attempted murder; Meave Vazquez could also be deported to Mexico after serving any of the three sentences he faces.
The tragic incident took place on September 23, 2018, when Miv Vasquez and six other crew members were sailing on The Captain Billy Harver about 55 miles off the coast of Nantucket.
According to the Department of Justice, Meev Vasquez was inside the house when he hit the first crew member, identified as victim A, in the head with a hammer, knocking him unconscious.
He then proceeded to the boat deck, where authorities said he repeatedly stabbed a second person, identified as victim B, with a long sirloin knife.
Miv Vasquez then attacked his third target, Victim C, who was rising from the ice hold, hitting the man’s head with a hammer, causing him to fall down the stairs.
The three remaining crew members, including the captain of the boat, attempted to delay Maeve Vasquez before he could climb to the top of the rigging.
Franklin Freddy Meave Vasquez pleaded guilty last Wednesday in federal court in Boston to the September 2018 murder of a crew member aboard a boat off the coast of Massachusetts. He faces a life sentence when he is sentenced on June 28.
Franklin Freddy Meave Vasquez, who entered the US illegally, could be deported to Mexico after serving any of the three sentences he faces.
A crew member was killed and two others seriously injured after Mexican citizen Franklin Freddy Meave Vasquez went berserk as a scallop boat sailed 55 miles off the coast of Massachusetts on September 23, 2018.
The ship’s captain placed a call on the distress channel, and the German cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 responded by taking on board two injured fishermen, prosecutors said. The ship’s doctor declared the death of a crew member with stab wounds.
Meav Vasquez remained at the top of the mast until the US Coast Guard arrived that evening and took him into custody.
After the attack, authorities released an audio recording of a distress call to the Coast Guard, which revealed the immediate aftermath of the attack on a fishing boat.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday!” the call of a vessel based in Virginia is heard. “We have a man gone mad here on the boat!”
The captain relays his position and continues: “We have one man, I don’t know if he’s dead or what. But one of the crew members went crazy and started hitting people on the head with a hammer.”
“I have three wounded now, I cannot wake one. I don’t know if he is dead or not.
Meave Vazquez faces a life sentence, five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on second-degree charges.
The attempted murder charge carries up to 20 years in prison, three years of parole and a $250,000 fine. He can spend up to 10 years in prison, receive three years of parole and pay a $250,000 fine if found guilty of assault.
Mexican citizen Franklin Freddy Meev Vasquez (pictured with his wife) looks at life in prison after pleading guilty last Wednesday to the Sept. 23, 2018 murder of a crew member aboard a scallop boat off the coast of Nantucket. In 2017, he reportedly married the 20-year-old daughter of a Virginia couple in order to obtain US citizenship.
According to the Justice Department, Miwe Vazquez entered the United States illegally and will be eligible for deportation once he has completed any of the three sentences.
Miv Vasquez received DACA protection in 2013, but an extension petition was denied in 2016.
He previously avoided deportation proceedings after assaulting his then-20-year-old wife at his home in Newport News, Virginia on March 8, 2018.
The couple met through a mutual friend in May 2017 and exchanged vows the following month.
Shelby McDannold and Lynsey McDannold told Fox News after Miv Vasquez was arrested on murder charges that they questioned their daughter about his legal immigration status.
Franklin Freddy Meave Vasquez was granted DACA protection in 2013, but the renewal petition was denied due to a denial in 2016.
Franklin Freddy Meave Vasquez could be sentenced to life in prison for the 2018 murder of a scallop crew member. It provides for a five-year supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He also faces a maximum sentence of 20 years on charges of attempted murder, as well as three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
McDannold said his daughter thought Miv Vasquez was a US citizen.
Miwe Vazquez attacked his wife in an attempt to obtain her social security number, which she refused to provide, so that he could fill out citizenship paperwork.
Lynsey McDannold said her son-in-law attacked her daughter, “strangled her and pinned her against the wall.”
He was arrested a day after the attack on charges of forced kidnapping.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tried to detain Miv Vasquez, but a judge released him from custody in April 2018 after he received $20,000 bail.