WORCESTER, MA – A Worcester County jury has convicted 44-year-old John Yang of Fitchburg of second-degree murder in the 2013 shooting death of 33-year-old Shaun Hibbard.
The verdict was delivered Friday in Worcester County Superior Court.
Yang was charged in connection with Hibbard’s killing on Forest Street in Fitchburg more than a decade ago.
According to investigators, Hibbard was shot during a confrontation near his vehicle at Forest and Charles Streets before running up Forest Street seeking help.
Investigators never gave up on cold case
Police found Hibbard on the porch of 46 Forest Street after multiple gunshots were reported around 4 a.m. on August 13, 2013. He was taken to Leominster Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds.
The Office of the State Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide. After years of investigation, Yang was charged in September 2023 and indicted two months later by a Worcester County Grand Jury. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
Officials praise years of cooperation
District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr. said the verdict reflects the persistence of law enforcement in solving long-standing cases. “We hope this verdict brings the victim’s family and loved ones some justice and closure,” Early said, commending the work of Fitchburg Police, Massachusetts State Police Detectives, and prosecutors Brett Dillon and Thomas Ayres.
Fitchburg Police Chief Steven D. Giannini added that the outcome demonstrates the department’s enduring commitment to victims and their families, regardless of how much time has passed.
Yang is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge James G. Reardon, Jr. on November 4.
In Fitchburg, justice arrived twelve years later—but it never stopped coming.