Two brothers were arraigned Tuesday in Brockton District Court, charged in the beating death of 43-year-old Anthony Leverone in Abington.
Suzito Lopes, 43, of Quincy, and his 37-year-old brother Antonio, who hid from our courtroom camera, were separately charged with murder in Leverone’s death.
Last month, police found Leverone’s badly beaten body in the backyard of his Plymouth Street home.
Police were called there for a welfare check when Leverone didn’t show up for a birthday dinner with his family.
Police say the investigation revealed that Leverone celebrated his birthday with several people at various restaurants and bars on December 26, 2024, ending the evening at the Brockton Café on Main Street.
Prosecutors say video shows Leverone getting into a rental car with Suzito and Antonio Lopes.
They say the blood in that car matches Leverone’s.
Authorities allege Leverone was beaten to death, possibly with propane tanks found near his body.
Prosecutors have not yet revealed a motive or how the victim and the two suspects knew each other.
But the prosecutor says they were all together at the time of the murder.
“There were at the Brockton Café that evening,” District Attorney Timothy Cruz told reporters. “He was celebrating his birthday and sometimes you meet people. It is still an essential part of the investigation and we will move forward from there.”
Lawyers representing the suspects say the evidence against the Lopes brothers is circumstantial at best.
One attorney even questioned whether Leverone’s death was a homicide.
“What evidence is there that this is a murder?” Suzito Lopez’s lawyer, Brian Kelley, said this in court. “There is no evidence that he did this with premeditation. Not at all. There is no evidence whatsoever that he has a relationship with this person.”
Both brothers were held without bail.
They are scheduled to appear in Brockton District Court on February 14.
This is a development story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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