Lynn man guilty in 2019 murder of Malden man, 34

By Steve Freker

Nello Barbosa and Carlos Lemon were both driving on North Shore Road near Wonderland Station, Revere on a late Friday afternoon in August 2019. No one really knows what transpired before the final fateful act, but minutes later, two gunshots were fired from Lemon’s vehicle through the passenger window on Barbosa’s car. Shortly afterward, Lemon sped away, back down Revere Beach Parkway. Barbosa, 34, a Malden resident and local business owner, was slumped over the wheel, bleeding heavily and barely clinging to life – hit twice, including once in the neck, by a gun fired by Lemon.

On Wednesday, Lemon, 37, of Lynn, was convicted of first-degree murder in Suffolk Superior Court in the car-to-car shooting that left Barbosa dead on August 2, 2019. Nelio Barbosa was shot in the neck at about 5:16 p.m. that day and died two days later. Carlos Lemon was eventually indicted by a grand jury on the murder charge and two gun charges; he was convicted on all charges after a nine-day trial, according to a spokesperson from the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.

Lemon is due to be sentenced on Feb. 21. Under Massachusetts General Laws (MGL), any person who is found guilty of murder in the first degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life and shall not be eligible for parole.

“This was an extraordinarily reckless act of violence during rush hour in a busy section of Revere that not only took the life of Mr. Barbosa, but placed everyone on the road that day and everyone in nearby dwellings in extreme danger,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said Wednesday in a statement.

“I thank the witnesses who came forward, the investigators and prosecutors who worked on the case, and especially the jury for returning a just verdict,” DA Hayden added.

At the time of the shooting, Good Samaritans could be seen leaning into the victim’s car moments after he was shot. A man who was in a nearby convenience store said he saw people trying to help the man keep from losing too much blood before first responders arrived.

Prosecutors since 2019 and to this day have not specified a motive for the killing. It has been speculated the shooting may have been triggered by “road rage” or some undisclosed incident which could have been hostile and aggressive between the two motorists that day.

During the trial, it was revealed that video surveillance near the scene showed that on Aug. 2, 2019, Barbosa was driving south on North Shore Road in Revere when Lemon pulled up next to him on his right and fired two shots into Barbosa’s car. Investigators determined both bullets went through Barbosa’s passenger side window and hit him, including one in his neck. At trial, additionally, witness testimony supports that Lemon was the only person in the Toyota Prius from which the shots were fired.

Nelio Barbosa when only 18 came to the United States from Brazil in 2003. He was a hard worker who started various business ventures to enhance his new life in America. By the time he was in his late 20s, he began to enjoy some success in the auto detailing business, eventually opening and running his own shop, ProRad Tint, which was located at 520 Main St. in Malden. Barbosa was born in Central de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil and eventually settled in Malden, where he started his auto detailing and window tinting business.

He left his father in Brazil, one sister who was living in Walpole, Mass., and six other brothers and sisters in Brazil.