2 men arrested for allegedly shooting and killing brothers in 2008

TAUNTON, Mass. (TCN) -- Two men have been taken into custody and charged with murder for allegedly playing a role in the shooting deaths of two brothers in 2008.

The Taunton Daily Gazette reports Steven Fordham and Kaylen Scott were arrested June 27 following a long investigation into the killings of 23-year-old Kevin Vargas and 21-year-old Shawn Vargas.

Fordham and Scott are not the only ones charged in connection with the Vargas brothers' death. In May 2021, a man named Keith Cox pleaded guilty to manslaughter armed robbery, while four months later, a jury acquitted another alleged co-conspirator for murder and other charges.

Investigators reportedly believe Shawn Vargas and Kevin Vargas were partaking in a marijuana deal with the suspects, but it turned into a deadly robbery.

According to the Taunton Daily Gazette, Kevin Vargas and Shawn Vargas were found dead in a rented room at an apartment in Taunton on Feb. 24, 2008. Kevin Vargas' 2-year-old and 4-year-old sons were inside the apartment when the shooting occurred but were not injured. Shawn Vargas' daughter was born several months after he died.

WCVB-TV reports Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn thanked the Vargas family for their "patience during the past 16 years."

Both suspects pleaded not guilty and are being held without bail.