Suspect accused of killing man found in burning car in Hartford expected to plead guilty in deaths of three others

A man being held in custody in connection with the killing of a Massachusetts man whose body was found in a burning car in Hartford has agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter charges in the deaths of three other Massachusetts residents, according to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office.

Calvin Roberson is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court in Massachusetts in connection with the three shooting deaths that took place in Springfield between 2006 and 2017, officials said. During the arraignment, it is anticipated he will plead guilty to manslaughter charges.

According to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, Roberson will be charged and subsequently plead guilty to the deaths of Springfield residents Loan Nguyen, Yonaides Pichardo and his brother David Pichardo.

Roberson has been held in custody since February 2021 after he was charged in the death of Francisco Roman, 31, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, according to authorities. Roman’s body was found in the rear of a vehicle that was parked on Shultas Place in Hartford and engulfed in flames on Dec. 26, 2020.  Roman, who died after suffering several gunshot wounds, had been reported missing to authorities a day earlier.

Federal officials believe Roberson and an accomplice kidnapped Roman in Massachusetts on Christmas Eve 2020, killed him and attempted to dispose of his body in Hartford.

During the investigation into Roman’s death, authorities “received information” indicating Roberson was responsible for three unsolved homicides in Springfield.

According to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, Nguyen was 30 years old when she was shot to death on Dec. 7, 2006, at a nail salon in Springfield where she worked. Roberson and two other masked men entered the salon in an attempted robbery.

Nguyen, a co-worker and a patron had their hands duct-taped and were held against their will, officials said. The officers who responded to the scene found Nguyen lying in a pool of her own blood with a gunshot wound to her head.

Yonaides Pichardo, authorities said, was 28 years old when he died of a gunshot wound on Oct. 11, 2016. He was found by Springfield police in his car on Sycamore Street after having been shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

David Pichardo was shot to death while doing laundry in the LaundroMax on Boston Road on Oct. 19, 2017, officials said. He was 27 years old.

Officers found David Pichardo at the rear of the building, suffering from a gunshot wound. He had a weak pulse and was gasping for air. The 27-year-old was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he died.

The Hampden District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday said manslaughter charges were being pursued against Roberson “as not to conflict with his ongoing case in federal court” where he has been charged in Roman’s death. When Roberson was charged in February 2021 in the kidnapping and killing, federal officials said he could face life in prison or possibly the death penalty if convicted. He faces charges of kidnapping resulting in death, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm.