Crime
The defendant pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday after killing his neighbor over an argument about loud music.
A man who killed his neighbor outside their apartment was sentenced Tuesday to four to seven years in state prison, court records show.
Enrique Canales-Martinez, 27, pleaded guilty in Worcester Superior Court to one count of manslaughter, court records indicate. He was indicted in September 2025 for the killing of Jason Mayhew, 36.
Canales-Martinez and Mayhew lived on different floors of the same Southgate Street apartment building, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported. The two men had an argument on June 21, 2025 when Mayhew came to Canales-Martinez’s apartment to complain about the loud music he was playing.
At one point during the argument, Canales-Martinez brandished a semiautomatic gun, the Telegram reported. When Mayhew saw the gun, he returned to his apartment, and both men called the police.
Afterwards, both men went outside and continued arguing, according to the Telegram. Mayhew allegedly pushed Canales-Martinez, who then shot him once in the abdomen and once in the leg.
Defense attorney Elliot Levine told Boston.com that Mayhew “charged at [Canales-Martinez]” after he “told him to stop.” He also said that Canales-Martinez regretted the “tragic situation” and pleaded guilty to avoid prolonging the court proceedings.
“We had a viable case of self-defense,” Levine said. “It was a sad set of circumstances that he regrets having happened.”
Worcester police responded and found Mayhew lying on the sidewalk suffering from his wounds. He was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead a short time later, the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
Canales-Martinez admitted to shooting Mayhew shortly after he was arrested, according to a statement of facts filed in Worcester District Court. He was initially charged with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery by firearm, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.
Mayhew is survived by his parents, aunt, and uncle, all of whom submitted victim impact statements prior to the sentencing. He also left behind a partner and two sons.
“I feel like I have changed so much since Jason’s death that I don’t even recognize myself,” Betsy Mayhew, Jason’s mom, wrote in an impact statement. “I am angry at times and devastated most often. I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without him.”
Worcester Assistant District Attorney Joseph Simmons recommended a sentence of 14 to 16 years, and Levine asked for a 3-year sentence, according to the DA’s office. After Canales-Martinez’s sentencing, Mayhew’s family called the sentence a “slap in the face” that favored the defense, the Telegram reported.
“On the day you chose to pull the trigger, you did not just take a life – you destroyed a family,” Joanna Rodrigues, Mayhew’s sister, said to Canales-Martinez when addressing the court Tuesday. “You took a loving father away from his children, a son from his parents, a brother from his siblings and a friend from countless people whose lives were made better by knowing him.”
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