Hey, there! Log in / Register

Family of Dorchester stabbing victim seeks answers

By adamg on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 2:57pm

YakovleffThe Hartford Courant interviews the family of Daniel Yakovleff, 20, found murdered in a Savin Hill triple decker last week. Among their questions: Was he murdered because he was gay and will Boston Police not take his death seriously because of that?

Yakovleff moved to Boston not long after graduating high school in Ashford, Conn., two years ago. He was a cosmetologist at Liquid Hair Studios on Tremont Street in the South End.

His death notice.

Photo from Yakovleff's Facebook page.

Neighborhoods: 
Dorchester
Topics: 
Crime
Free tagging: 
Daniel Yakovleff


Ad:


Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Comments

By Neal on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 6:32pm.

I was acquainted with Dan and hung with him on a couple of occasions. Some of my friends knew him quite well. Needless to say, the whole situation is shocking. He was a nice kid.

By Bill Wilson on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 7:51pm.

I send prayers to the family, and am certain the BPD will find the killer. That said, the family and the police should be curious why an underaged (20) young man was so well known in many of the gay bars in Boston.

RIP

By eeka not logged in on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 8:48pm.

That he was well known in the gay bars?

(Also, you do realize, right, that most of the gay scene in Boston takes place at venues that don't card at the door?)

By Neal on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 10:02pm.

I had no idea that he was that young until I heard about all this. I always assumed that he was in his mid twenties.

By MarkB on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 7:55pm.

I'm sure the Boston Police will appreciate the comment from the family while they do their work. Nice way to make friends and influence people. I find that insults always inspire me in my work.

By Al on Wed, 01/23/2008 - 9:49pm.

Mark B,

How dare you attack a grieving family of a murdered man and accuse them of insulting the police department. Spare us all your sarcasm. Its also very ignorant of you to insinuate the police are thin skinned enough to let this newspaper article influence how they will investigate this case. You should really take a step back and see how rude and insensitive you are.

By adamg on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 11:12pm.

Mark Snyder reports he was last seen leaving the Eagle Wednesday night and says good bye:

... Dan was a positive person who always brought a smile to your face. He was very serious about pursuing his dreams of becoming a well established hair stylist, and already had a loyal following of customers. He was never shy about giving us free feedback or tips on our hair! ...

By independentminded on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 1:19am.

I'm very sorry to hear about his tragic and untimely death. It's unfortunate that his life was snuffed much, much too soon.

My thoughts are with Dan's family and friends (although I don't know them)

By Anonymous on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 1:05pm.

Daniel was found in Savin Hill, a relatively crime-free section of Dorchester; on Tuttle Street, normally a very quiet street with many families and a very diverse and accepting group of neighbors, including many gay men and women. It should be noted that Daniel was found in a gay man's apartment. This was not necessarily a hate crime, and it has little to do with the crime taking place in Dorchester at all. Unfortunately, we don't know any of the details, but some things are relatively certain: 1) that Dan went to the apartment voluntarily after meeting the resident of the apartment, and possibly another man, at Eagle, and 2) there was, according to police, an argument of some kind that evening. A reliable source has said that the resident awoke to find Daniel deceased and the second man missing.

I am bewildered as to why there has not been more news coverage. It took more than a week to release Dan's name, and a suspect still has not been named even though the BPD has said there is a "person of interest."

By John K on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 1:20pm.

"Savin Hill, a relatively crime-free section of Dorchester..."

Yes, so much so that it's apparently lost its long-time moniker, "Stab-n-Kill".

By G on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 5:06pm.

My family lived in and owned property in Savin Hill "over the bridge" for over 20 years.Street crime muggings,rapes etc were rare but low level harassment and bullying of anyone including us percieved to be " different" was common.We were formerly upper middle class Irish/Anglo Irish.Vandalism,verbal harassmentand interferance in our affairs was a monthly occourance.We stuck it for financial reasons.It wasn't wort it-we saw it as twenty plus years of living in misery.I was percieved as gay since I wouldn't date the locals -I wasn't -I caught Hell anyway.

By Grampian on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 9:45pm.

The term Stab& Kill is from an event 30 years ago. Several men from Southie chased a black boy down the subway on to the tracks. It was a racial attack. This was also during the time busing was such a hot issue.

By adamg on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 1:34pm.

Does have a short article today with absolutely no new information in it (it's basically the Reader's Digest version of the Courant article, except without any of the stuff about him being gay and whether that played a role in his death), along with some of your basic Herald reader comments that make you despair for the future of mankind.

By adamg on Thu, 01/24/2008 - 8:18pm.

Boston Police want to talk to anybody who saw Yakovleff between the time he left the Eagle in the South End and the time he wound up in Dorchester:

Detectives are seeking to speak with anyone who saw Mr. Yakovleff in the area of Tuttle Street or in the South End section of Boston in the late hours of Wednesday, January 16, 2008 through the time of his death. The detectives are particularly interested in learning who Mr. Yakovleff may have been with in the South End or on Tuttle Street. The detectives are also interested in the type of transportation Mr. Yakovleff may have used (car, bicycle, taxi, MBTA) that evening.

You may call the Homicide Unit directly at 617-343-4470. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or text the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).

By Anonymous on Mon, 01/28/2008 - 4:36pm.

Did anyone ever think it could be an ex or jealous lover. Just another angle to the case, that always seems to be the most likely motive for cases like this. Please don't call me closed minded by the way, this is a possible motive.

By Gareth on Mon, 01/28/2008 - 4:46pm.

Of course, it could also be that someone completely unknown to both Daniel Yakovleff and Steven Odegard, in whose apartment the dead man was found, snuck into Mr. Odegard's apartment and...

Yeah, I was thinking 'crime of passion' too.

I'd bet that, despite what his lawyer says, Mr. Odegard knows a little bit more about it all than we do. Or maybe not - golly, I'd sure be surprised if I woke up and found a dead guy in my bed. Maybe it's a frame-up by space aliens or something.