The Massachusetts sexual crime case against Austin Renaud, one of the ex-South Hadley High School students charged with statutory rape in the Phoebe Prince suicide-bullying case, is scheduled go to trial next year. The 18-year-old has been charged as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty to the rape charge.…
Perhaps it is my fault. Maybe I have been concentrating on tales of police investigations into crimes like murder, robbery and assault, that I have neglected to remind you that the “self-help” approach is seldom applauded in criminal justice. I know that this may be counter-intuitive for many of you,…
In Lynn District Court, Fernando Aristy, a 24-year-old Chelsea man, has pleaded not guilty to the charges of Massachusetts murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault to murder. Aristy is accused of injuring 34-year-old Peabody resident Chad McDonald so severely during a fight earlier this month that…
The news has gotten even worse. Hours after law enforcement announced that a second person shot during this weekend’s shootings had died, there was yet another fatal shooting in Boston. This shooting victim was a 30-year-old man who was shot on Geneva Avenue in Dorchester at approximately 8 p.m. He…
How many of you thought that the Boston police and probation officers were over-reacting when you read my blog last week about their “late night calls” on probationers? As you may recall, it was in response to the rise of the homicide rate. Well, it would appear that these late…
With jury members now selected, opening statements are scheduled to begin in the Chandry Levy murder trial on Monday. The 24-year-old woman was murdered in 2001 after she was attacked while jogging in a park. Her body was found over a year later. At the time of her disappearance, Levy…
You may have noticed that many Massachusetts crimes are ones in which the defendant had to have had the pre-requisite intent to commit the crime. The element of intent is not, however, necessary for all criminal acts. For example, let’s say that I had a really bad day today and…
As the Chuck Turner trial churns on, other white collar crimes are being investigated in the Commonwealth of Mass. The potential defendants include folks from all backgrounds…even the mentally impaired. Let’s turn to the town of Lowell. On Tuesday, staff at a local bank suddenly became suspicious when they came…
Sometimes, criminal justice reality in the Boston area reveals itself, as if on cue, to demonstrate points made by this daily blog. Since Friday, I have been referring to the inequality between the resources of the prosecution and the defense. Another example has presented itself during the ongoing Chuck Turner…
Dana Kessel, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the charges of Massachusetts child endangerment, third-offense drunken driving, and driving to endanger. The charges are related to a car crash that left his 2-year-old son with serious injuries. Kessel was arraigned in Salem District Court. The Beverly resident crashed his minivan…