Burlington Police Chief Michael Kent announced today that two men have officially been charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found at a Burlington hotel this past Thursday July 2nd. The victim, 34 year old Sanisha Johnson of the Bronx, New York, was discovered in a first floor room at the Extended Stay America located near the Burlington Mall. The suspects, 24 year old Epshod Jeune (of Burlington) and 21 year old Derrell Fisher (of Roxbury) were arrested for the shooting death of Sanisha Johnson on Monday after hotel video surveillance captured them on film.
According to reports given by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, prior to meeting Sanisha Johnson at the Extended Stay America, Jeune and Fisher robbed and beat another woman at the Red Roof Inn located in Woburn–just shortly before making their way to Burlington. Investigators assigned to the case revealed that the men met both Sanisha Johnson and the unnamed victim at the Red Roof Inn via an online escort website known as Backpage.
The two men were arraigned at Woburn District Court on Monday afternoon for a variety of charges which include murder, attempted armed robbery, and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection to the Burlington murder of Sanisha Johnson. Woburn Police Chief Robert Ferullo has also stated that the two men were correspondingly being charged with armed robbery and armed assault of the female victim at the Red Roof Inn. Both Jeune and Fisher were held without bail. It is alleged that a third person drove the getaway car in both instances, but the driver has yet to be identified or charged with anything at this time.
Sources at the Extended Stay America hotel claim that they heard arguing and a woman screaming followed by a gunshot just after midnight on Thursday. After being alerted by multiple hotel guests of the confrontation and the ensuing gunfire that followed, the front desk called the authorities immediately. Once local police arrived on scene they performed a room-to-room search in order to identify the source of the incident. Upon discovering the body of the victim in one of the guest rooms, the police began to screen guests that were exiting and entering the hotel. It was with the help of video surveillance footage, both from the Burlington Extended Stay America in addition to surveillance tape also acquired by the Red Roof Inn in Woburn that led law enforcement officials to the arrest of Epshod Jeune and Derrell Fisher.
Some of the guests at the hotel where Sanisha Johnson was discovered expressed thoughts of fear and concerns—prompting one or two guests to check out of the hotel that evening in order to better ensure their own safety. Evidence regarding the incident and the events that took place leading up to the murder were not provided to hotel guests in order to preserve the privacy of the ongoing investigation.
It has also been revealed that Epshod Jeune was a former employee of the Extended Stay America in Burlington, but details of his employment and subsequent departure were not immediately made available prior to his arraignment.