Nationwide — John P. Sheeran, a 15-year-old white boy from Chatham, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after prosecutors accused him of repeatedly forcing a Black teenager underwater during a 2023 attack at Goose Pond. He also pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and could receive an adult sentence because he was prosecuted as a youthful offender.
The confrontation began on July 19, 2023, when the Black teenager rode his bicycle to Goose Pond expecting to meet up with boys he considered his friends. Sheeran and another boy were there when he arrived. According to Atlanta Black Star, police records state the boys told him to ride his bicycle into the pond, but he refused because the bicycle belonged to his older brother. The two then began throwing rocks at him and calling him racial slurs, including the N-word and “boy.” Because the teenager could not swim, he put on a life jacket before getting into the water.
The attack became more serious after Sheeran and the other boy entered the pond. Police said Sheeran grabbed the teenager and pushed his head underwater four or five times. The teenager later told investigators that water filled his mouth and nose as he repeatedly yelled that he could not breathe and tried to free himself. While this was happening, the other boy reportedly laughed and called him “George Floyd,” referring to the Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.
The teenager managed to get away, but police said Sheeran returned about 15 minutes later on a raft with the other boy. Sheeran allegedly swam underneath the teenager, grabbed his feet, and tried to pull him underwater again. A young witness noticed the struggle and swam over to help. The witness told police the teenager repeatedly said he could not swim while Sheeran continued forcing him underwater. Another witness also reported seeing the boys holding him underwater. The teenager eventually made it back to shore and left the pond. He reported what happened to Chatham police two days later.
A grand jury indicted Sheeran in August 2023 on attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon charges. He was initially held without bail before a judge released him to his father’s custody under conditions that included home confinement and GPS monitoring. Prosecutors also told the court that Sheeran allegedly punched an Asian boy in the face later that day after the boy called him fat. Sheeran’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, disputed the characterization of the pond incident, saying the teenagers had been friends and describing the encounter as horseplay that went too far.
Sheeran pleaded guilty on Dec. 13, 2024, in Barnstable Juvenile Court. Since prosecutors charged him as a youthful offender, Massachusetts law allows the judge to decide whether he should receive a juvenile or adult sentence. His sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025. The other boy involved in the pond incident was also facing a juvenile case.