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On the afternoon of Sunday, February 24, 2008, 23-year-old Kevin Vargas and his 21-year-old brother Shawn Vargas were shot and killed inside Kevin’s apartment at 729 Somerset Avenue in Taunton, Massachusetts. Kevin’s two young sons, ages two and four, were in the room and were physically unharmed.
Investigators concluded the brothers had been lured to the apartment in what was believed to be a setup — an apparent marijuana sale that turned into an armed robbery. The case produced few answers for many years. In 2016 two men, Keith Cox and Matthew Lander, were indicted; Lander was later acquitted. In May 2021 Cox pleaded guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery, but family and investigators said others remained involved.
A grand jury probe culminated in June 2024 with the arrests and murder indictments of Steven Fordham, 38, of Taunton, and Kaylen Scott, 36, of Worcester; both pleaded not guilty and were held without bail. Does anyone have information about the events around 729 Somerset Avenue that afternoon or the people involved?