Articles Posted in Felonies and Violent Crimes

Boston’s homicide toll continued to rise as two were killed over the weekend. Thomas Whitley, a 30-year old Roxbury man, and an unidentified teenager were killed, marking the 62nd and 63rd homicides this year. At this time last year, the homicide toll was 43.

Whitley, a father of four, was stabbed on Saturday night on 60 Dearborn Street. He was later pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center. Witnesses told the Boston Globe that Whitley and another man went into Dearborn Liquors together where they got into a fight that continued out to the street. The call to police first came in as an attempted robbery.

The teenager was shot on Mascot Street in Mattapan on Sunday morning. He too was pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center.

With this ongoing violence, the pressure will continue to mount on law enforcement. When that happens, the pressure on you also grows. Pressure from superior officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement politicians will affect police investigations and feed their fear and their “us vs. them” attitude.
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Sharon Fitzpatrick, the woman charged with stabbing her husband Sylvester Mitchell at their home in May 2007 has been acquitted of Massachusetts second-degree murder. This was the second time that her Boston murder case had gone to trial. The first one had ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to break their deadlock.

Fitzpatrick was accused of attacking Mitchell during a dispute. Authorities claimed she was angry that he came home later than was expected. They were to celebrate his 40th birthday.

While prosecutors have argued that Fitzpatrick had no injuries from the stabbing to indicate that she needed to protect herself against Mitchell, the 39-year-old woman has always maintained that she acted in self-defense.

Massachusetts Second-Degree Murder
With Massachusetts second-degree murder, the crime needs to have been committed with malice aforethought (but not deliberate premeditation) or while a non-capital felony was taking place. The maximum sentence if convicted is life in prison with parole after 15 years. Choosing the right Boston murder defense law firm can make a huge difference on the outcome of your case.

Defending someone against a murder charge can be a very complicated process. There may be reasons why charges against you should be dropped or reduced or why you should be found not guilty-even if there is evidence to indicate otherwise. There may be evidence to prove that you did not commit the crime. There may be witnesses that can testify in support of your defense.

Woman acquitted in ’07 death of husband, Boston.com, November 4, 2010
Ex-dispatcher faces retrial in husband’s death, Boston Herald, October 24, 2010
Prosecutor: Victim “Didn’t See it Coming,” Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office

Related Web Resources:
Defenses to Criminal Charges, Nolo
Murder News Stories, Google

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Verna Sewell, a 65-year-old Dorchester woman, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Suffolk Superior Court yesterday, according to the Boston Globe. The case arose out of the May 2009 stabbing death of 74-year-old Julius Scott, who shared an apartment with Sewell. She will be sentenced tomorrow.

Police were informed of the stabbing when Scott called 911 and said that he had been stabbed “in the heart” by a woman who then left his apartment. By the time police arrived, Scott was dead, but a bloody knife was recovered at the scene. Police found Sewell, who fit the description of the woman living with Scott, at a bus stop with blood on her clothing. She told them that there was a struggle when he attacked her with the knife and that Scott was stabbed in the course that struggle.

The Boston Globe: Dorchester woman found guilty in roommate’s death
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Do you think that homicide is a game only the young can play? Well, Verna S., a 65 year-old woman from Dorchester woman (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) would beg to differ. Yesterday, she was convicted in the May 2009 stabbing death of a 74-year-old man, Julius S.,(hereinafter, the “Deceased”) in the apartment they shared in Dorchester, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

Sewell had been free pending the trial, but Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano ordered her held once the guilty verdict was delivered. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday. She was apparently found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, not the Second Degree Murder charge she originally had been charged.

Her sentence can run from probation to 20 years in prison.

The police were alerted to the armed assault after the Deceased called 911 to report that he had been stabbed by a woman who then left his apartment. He told a dispatcher he had removed the knife from his chest. He was dead by the time police responded to his home. His cell phone and a bloody steak knife were found next to the chair.
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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 was pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center.

Police are investigating a possible gang or drug connection and looking for a black Cadillac Escalade seen leaving the scene shortly after the shooting. Ruiz did not name or describe any possible suspects, saying that the driver of the Cadillac was only wanted for questioning.

And so, with bodies piling up, law enforcement continues its investigation(s). There are a number of leads. Some will turn out helpful and lead to the factually guilty. Others will inevitably not be so helpful (in terms of Justice) and lead to the innocent.

Perhaps they will lead to you or somebody you care about.
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