Malden man convicted in 2021 grisly murder case; sentenced to life in prison, no parole

One of Malden’s most horrific murder cases concludes; roommate victim hacked to death with samurai sword

By Steve Freker

It hit the city of Malden like a bolt of lightning from the sky on that Saturday summer night just over four years ago. The unspeakable brutality and horror of the crime still resonates to this day within the local law enforcement community.

“I never saw so much blood, ever, at a crime scene,” one 25-year-plus Malden Police veteran recalled a few days after the ghastly murder and its details spilled out. Several Malden public safety personnel from the MPD and Malden Fire Dept. stopped in their tracks and had to either turn away or turn around and walk away for a short time when they first viewed the murder victim up close, others reported. The fact that one of Malden’s most gruesome murders in city history took place in one of the quietest neighborhoods in the city added to its shock value.

On August 15, 2021, Brian McDonald, 34, of Malden, was hacked to death while trying to flee his attacker, Joshua Roush, 43, also of Malden, at the first-floor apartment they shared at a home on Presley Street near the corner of Charles Street in the city’s Edgeworth neighborhood. The murder weapon in this bizarre case was identified as a 40-inch-long samurai sword wielded by Roush.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Malden Chief of Police Glenn Cronin last Thursday, October 24, announced that Roush has been convicted of the August 15, 2021, murder of McDonald, who was identified as Roush’s roommate in the aftermath of the murder. Following a seven-day trial in Middlesex Superior Court, on October 24 Roush was found guilty of first-degree murder. Judge Cathleen Campbell sentenced Roush to life in state prison without eligibility for parole.

On August 15, 2021, Malden Police responded to a report of a man bleeding after a possible fight on Presley Street. Upon arrival, police located the victim, Brian McDonald, lying on the sidewalk with obvious and severe injuries. McDonald was pronounced dead on the scene. Neighbors indicated to police that they had heard yelling and banging coming from inside the apartment before observing the victim crawl out of the apartment to the porch, bleeding severely from his injuries. According to reports, McDonald had a deep, gashed wound to his neck and was missing most of his left arm, among many other deep, bleeding wounds to his torso and other parts of his body.

According to testimony at the trial, when police entered the Presley Street residence, after lengthy negotiations with Roush, they observed heavy blood spatter in multiple rooms and a samurai sword with blood on it. Police saw blood on Roush’s hands, clothes and shoes.

Brian McDonald and Joshua Roush, who were roommates, had gotten into a loud verbal argument inside of their apartment. That argument became violent when Joshua Roush began attacking Brian McDonald with a samurai sword. McDonald attempted to escape the apartment during the attack and was able to make his way down his front steps to the sidewalk – bleeding from his heavily gashed neck, arms and chest – where he died from his injuries. Police reported that there were several other samurai swords and other knives found among Roush’s possessions in the Presley Street residence.

At the time of his arrest in 2021, Roush had previously served 11 years in prison on a charge of attempted second-degree murder after attacking an elderly man with a hammer, prosecutors said. Roush has been held without bail on the murder charge since the 2021 murder in Edgeworth.

This case was investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Malden Police Department and Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. The prosecutors assigned to this case were Megan McGovern and Ryan Rall.