Dorchester man charged for murder outside Kells last fall

A grand jury has indicted Corey Patterson for the knifing murder of a man who'd just left the former Allston bar, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Patterson originally fled the scene Nov. 8 as Gregory Phillips of West Roxbury lay dying of a fatal wound to the heart, but returned when he realized his fingerprints would be all over the bloody knife, Suffolk County prosecutors charge. Patterson was originally charged as an accessory rather than with being the murderer.

In a statement, the DA's office says Phillips had just left a birthday part at the Kells around 2 a.m. with his roommate and two female friends, when Patterson started making "rude comments" to one of the women. Phillips's roommate told him to knock it off and the two began to argue. "Mr. Phillips' roommate asked the defendant to take the argument around the corner." and then:

As Phillips' roommate, Patterson, and a group of Patterson's friends and relatives headed toward the corner of Brighton and Harvard avenues, however, Patterson allegedly punched Phillips' roommate in the back of the head, prompting Phillips to intervene.

Coming to his friend's aid, Mr. Phillips, unarmed, approached the defendant and the two became engaged in a physical altercation. At that point, one of Mr. Phillips' friends screamed, 'He's got a knife,' referring to the defendant. As Mr. Phillips backed away from the defendant, this friend saw the defendant punch Mr. Phillips.

The defendant fled and Phillips staggered across the street with blood beginning to soak through his shirt from a stab wound to his chest that would ultimately prove fatal. Phillips died at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of a stab wound to his heart.

When Patterson returned, a Boston cop noticed him reaching under a car for the knife. That led to a violent struggle with police before he was subdued, the DA's office says.