Overview
- Judge Mary Ames imposed the state prison term in Suffolk Superior Court for the death of Barry Whelan, 46, who was found unresponsive on March 17, 2023, and died three days later.
- Prosecutors said surveillance video showed Sanusi Sadiq, 31, strike Whelan from behind, causing a fall that led to a traumatic brain injury; the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide by blunt force.
- Sadiq admitted to police that he hit Whelan during an encounter described by prosecutors as racial in nature, and the two men were strangers.
- Before sentencing, Sadiq apologized and called his actions a moment of poor judgment, while District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the case shows the cost of not choosing to walk away.
- Friends and colleagues described Whelan, a Woburn resident proud of his Irish roots, and noted their community dedicated a renovated church area and plaque in his memory.