Man found injured in street dies of stab wound

5/24/2005

A Toledo man died early yesterday about 30 minutes after police officers found him lying wounded in the street in the 400 block of Nebraska Avenue.

Mack E. Boston, 48, who has had several addresses in the city, died of a single stab wound in the chest about 12:45 a.m., according to the Lucas County coroner's office. His death was ruled a homicide.

No one has been arrested or charged in his death, and no weapon has been found. The motive for the slaying remains under investigation. Detectives believe there was a disturbance at or near the location where he was found.

Officers on their way downtown found an unresponsive Mr. Boston lying face-down with a duffle bag next to him about 12:15 a.m. Firefighters were summoned and found he had an apparent puncture wound in his chest and no pulse. He was taken to St. Vin-

cent Mercy Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. A pay stub, Michigan driver's license, and wallet were found inside the duffle bag, according to a police report.

Princella Walker, Mr. Boston's aunt, said she "can't understand what happened" but said she's confident police will solve the crime.

"They have a lot of leads. They have a lot going. They're going to solve this case," she said.

Ms. Walker said her nephew was born in Mississippi and moved to the area about 10 years ago. She said his parents and one son preceded him in death and that he has one son and several brothers and sisters surviving.

Ms. Walker said Mr. Boston was a quiet, easy-going man who liked to repair cars, was a hard worker, and was "very smart with electronic equipment." She said he had been living with a relative in Michigan and only moved back to Toledo within the last month or two.

"He had a lot of life in him," she said.

Ms. Walker said his death is especially painful because this is the fifth death in the family in less than two years.

Mr. Boston has minimal criminal history in Toledo. He has misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence and violating a peace bond plus a traffic offense conviction.

Contact Christina Hall at

chall@theblade.com

or 419-724-6007.