September 30, 2026 – Springfield, Massachusetts – Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni has announced that Dajay Joselyn-Peart, 28, of Springfield, was sentenced on September 24, 2026, following his conviction on charges stemming from a September 2025 unarmed robbery.

On September 16, 2026, a Hampden County jury found Joselyn-Peart guilty of unarmed robbery of a person 60 years of age or older, assault and battery on a person 60 years of age or older, intimidation of a witness, and larceny from a person 65 years or older.

Dajay Joselyn-Peart was sentenced to three to five years in state prison on the charges of unarmed robbery. On those charges, the Commonwealth requested eight to 10 years. He was sentenced to two and a half to three years in state prison on the charges of assault and battery on an elder, which the Commonwealth requested. Dajay Joselyn-Peart was also sentenced to three years’ probation for intimidation and larceny from a person 65 or older, which the Commonwealth requested as well.

The defense requested two years for the robbery and two years probation on the remaining charges.

In September 2025, James Syner, 74, of Springfield, finished a shift at his place of work and was waiting for a bus on Main Street in downtown Springfield. While he was seated and waiting, the defendant, who was shirtless, approached Syner and asked for the shirt off his back. When the victim declined, the defendant took the baseball hat off his head, at which point Syner stood up, and Joselyn-Peart punched him.  

When Syner retrieved his cell phone to call 911, the defendant took the phone from his hands and threw him to the ground before fleeing from the scene with the cell phone.  

Syner followed Joselyn-Peart as he proceeded through downtown, during which time Joselyn-Peart attacked Syner again, by punching and throwing him to the ground.

Despite the attacks, Syner continued to follow Joselyn-Peart, while maintaining a distance and remaining out of sight. The defendant made his way to Worthington Street behind the Springfield Police Department headquarters, where the victim encountered police leaving the station at shift change, resulting in multiple units in the immediate area available to respond.

Syner was able to point out the defendant to the officers, where he was later apprehended with the victim’s hat and cell phone, and positively identified on scene.

The case was tried over five days, resulting in the jury’s convictions onSeptember 16. Syner was present for the sentencing and expressed his gratitude for the people involved in this case, specifically Victim Witness Advocate Lauren Musa.

“This conviction is a testament to the determination of Mr. Syner, the fast and effective work of law enforcement, and the system working for our community,” said Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni. “We will not tolerate violence of any kind committed against those in our elderly community. To ensure their safety and to hold those accountable who do victimize the elderly, my office maintains a specialized unit for these kinds of cases. Assistant District Attorney Nina Vivenzio is a part of this unit, and I thank her for her determination and hard work in fighting for Mr. Syner and bringing the defendant to justice.”

The Commonwealth was represented by ADA Nina Vivenzio and Victim Witness Advocate Lauren Musa.