Shabazz Augustine stood silently in a Suffolk Superior courtroom today as he was officially charged with the heinous murder of 26 year-old Julaine Jules, his one-time love interest who was found dead in the Charles River nearly one month after she went missing from her South Boston workplace back in 2004.
Augustine, 32, was arrested on a warrant issued after the Boston Police Cold Case Squad began probing the Jules murder this year. Augustine was a suspect early in the murder investigation, but according to prosecutors, his recent arrest was prompted by "incriminating remarks" that he allegedly made after the killing. The Dorchester man, who has been working at a dental clinic in recent years, was taken into custody at his workplace in Roxbury in June. He's been jailed ever since and was once again ordered to be held without bail pending his trial — which will not likely take place until September 2012.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee reiterated the charges against Augustine, whom prosecutors say lured Jules to his Dorchester apartment on Aug. 24, 2004 to confront her over his suspicions that she was seeing another man. There, prosecutors say, Augustine suffocated Jules and killed her. He later dumped her body in the Charles and left her burning car in a Revere parking lot.
More than a dozen members of the Jules family watched today's arraignment.
“Today marks a pivotal point in our pursuit of justice for Julaine Jules, her family, and her community,” DA Daniel Conley said in a statement. “It’s been a search for answers and accountability. It’s been a long road for Julaine’s loved ones, but it’s one they never strayed from.”
Augustine, who is defended by attorney Steven Sack, will be back in court on Oct. 18.