Tewksbury man arrested after shooting death of 15-year-old Lowell girl

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced the June 17, 2024 arrest of Trevor Bady, 21, of Tewksbury, for the shooting death of Ahliana Dickey, 15, of Lowell, last week . (Peter Currier/Lowell Sun)

LOWELL — Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and the Lowell Police Department announced Monday afternoon an arrest in the shooting death of 15-year-old Ahliana Dickey last week.

Trevor Bady, 21, of Tewksbury, was arrested without incident at a Peabody residence Monday afternoon, Ryan said during a news conference at the Lowell Police Department. Bady faces charges of murder, armed home invasion, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, use of a firearm to commit a felony and discharge of firearm within 500 feet of a building, Ryan said.

Bady is expected to be arraigned in Lowell District Court Tuesday morning.

Ryan said at the news conference that Dickey — who had just turned 15 on April 18 — first came to notice when she didn't show up to her eighth-grade graduation ceremony Friday Morning.

“When she failed to show up for the graduation ceremony, family members who were waiting for her arrival were concerned and began trying to find her. This continued for much of Friday,” Ryan said.

Ryan said Dickey's grandmother discovered Dickey at her home on Lawrence Street on Friday around 6 p.m. Dickey had visible gunshot wounds, Ryan said, and several shell casings were found at the scene.

Upon further investigation, Ryan stated that Bady was Dickey's boyfriend and that Bady had been violent towards her before her death.

“It became known that Ahliana had confided to a number of people that Mr. Bady was abusing and threatening her as recently as the middle of last week,” Ryan said.

On Thursday night, around midnight, Ryan said Lowell police received a call reporting some sort of fight between a man and woman outside on the street.

“The caller reported that she heard this woman screaming, 'Let me go.' Get away from me. I don't want to be with you anymore,” Ryan said. “This caller further reported hearing gunshots. Police responded to the scene but did not locate anyone on the street after a search.

Ryan said surveillance video later captured images of Dickey and Bady on the street before the shooting.

Bady took an Uber to and from Dickey's home before and after the shooting, both times being the same driver, who then reported Bady as a suspect, Ryan said.

Ryan asked that the privacy of Dickey's family be respected as they mourn his loss. She also highlighted the tragedy that occurred and said it was another tragic example of gun violence in Middlesex County.

“The important thing to remember about this incident is that Ahliana should have finished eighth grade on Friday,” Ryan said. “And also the same topic that I was here about a week and a half ago, which is the prevalence and use of guns in our community. This is at least the fifth person to have died from a firearm in Middlesex County. This does not count those who were shot and survived.

“This time it’s a 15-year-old girl,” Ryan continued. “We simply cannot continue to accept this type of violence, the use of firearms and the use of a firearm in an argument and turn this into a tragic loss of life. »

Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon thanked all departments and organizations that assisted in the investigation. These included the Tewksbury, Nashua, Burlington, Peabody, Danvers and Saugus police departments, as well as the Massachusetts State Police and the Middlesex Sheriff's Office.

“I would especially like to thank the community for their help when detectives went, in some cases, door to door, collecting information and video,” Hudon said.

Hudon called the shooting an “isolated incident” and said there was no further danger to the public.

A GoFundMe was created to help support Dickey's family, which had raised more than $7,600 as of Monday evening. A MealTrain account, a service that allows people to volunteer to prepare and donate meals to people in need of support, has also been created to help the family.