A male and a female body were found inside the Moxy Boston Downtown hotel, situated at 240 Tremont Street in Boston’s lively Theater District, as confirmed by law enforcement on Monday, February 26.
The Boston Police Department, Massachusetts, was alerted and arrived at the scene just before 12:30 p.m. in response to a report of two fatalities.
On reaching the scene, officers declared both individuals dead. The deceased were identified by a law enforcement source as 43-year-old Keith Ashby from Boston and 25-year-old Aanya Vinay from Brookline.
The police investigation revealed that Ashby was a level 3 registered sex offender who had been convicted on three counts of aggravated rape in 2007 and that he was released from prison in 2020. He fatally shot Vinay in the head and then turned the gun on himself.
Reports indicate that a firearm was discovered at the site. The medical examiner’s office determined that Vinay’s death was a homicide and Ashby committed suicide.
In the 2007 rape case, Ashby’s former girlfriend confided in law enforcement regarding the savage assaults, where he issued threats stating, “You will die if you choose not to remain with me.” The police discovered an AK-47 and a multitudinous amount of bullets within his dwelling, according to legal paperwork.
The Moxy Boston Downtown, a part of the Marriott International franchise, is recognized for its contemporary facilities and its closeness to several major Boston attractions such as Fenway Park, Boston Common, and a variety of art galleries and theaters.
As news of the investigation spread, unease among hotel patrons increased, with some inquiring about the incident’s safety implications. Around 3 p.m. on the day of the discovery, the bodies were seen being removed from the hotel by the medical examiner’s office.
Hotel guests like Samantha Poorman from Michigan expressed shock and concern over the incident. “This is insane. I mean there is no soundproofing in those rooms either, I mean I listen to the people next to me who watch movies all night. So the fact that nobody heard anything…,” she stated.
Vinay is survived by her son and her parents.
