A Winthrop woman pleaded guilty on Monday to a manslaughter charge in the stabbing death of a 19-year-old woman in Chelsea in 2021, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. Ava Najafi, 20, pleaded guilty to killing Cyndell Rodriguez, 19, of Chelsea.
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Mary Ames sentenced Najafi to 12 to 14 years in prison, with credit for time served. Najafi, who was 17 at the time of the stabbing, has been held without bail since being arrested the day after the incident. Members of the Chelsea Police Department responded to the area of Garfield Avenue shortly before 9:30 p.m. on August 19, 2021.
Upon arrival, they located Rodriguez suffering from knife wounds to her throat and chest. Rodriguez was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital but succumbed to her injuries. Investigators determined that Rodriguez was among a group of individuals who became involved in an altercation on Garfield Avenue with another group. Najafi was among the individuals in the second group.
Najafi fatally stabbed Rodriguez during the altercation. Numerous family members and friends of Rodriguez read victim impact statements at Monday’s sentencing hearing. “The tragedy in this heartbreaking case extends to everyone directly and indirectly involved,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
“The family and friends of Cyndell Rodriguez forever lost a young woman just starting out in life. Their loss is eternal. But it’s a tragedy for Ava Najafi as well, whose quick and terrible decisions that day ended one life and dramatically altered her own.”