Articles Posted in Murder

As this Boston criminal lawyer returns to his five-blog-a-week post (after a bit of vacation time), I came across a story which is not supposed to happen. We see it all the time, of course, on television and in the movies, but, miraculously enough, it does not happen all that often in the Commonwealth’s reality.

It is a tale of Roxbury murder. It the shooting death of a mother and teenager who were apparently suspected by a perpetrator of cooperating with the Commonwealth in a pending homicide investigation. The youth, 17-year-old Elvis Sanchez, was shot this month after he appeared at a courthouse. When there, the Commonwealth pressed him to testify before a grand jury. He was, after all, believed by the Commonwealth to have knowledge of the June 5th killing of Wilfredo Martinez, a 23-year-old cook who had been slain in the housing development near Sanchez’s Roslindale home. Sanchez’s mother was also killed in the shooting of her son.

And so, now believing the two homicides are related, criminal investigators are looking into both deaths. This is according to officials…who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to a spokesman from the Suffolk District Attorney, Sanchez was not a “cooperating witness” in Martinez’s shooting or any other slaying. However, he was clearly brought to the Grand Jury in hopes that he would testify for the government. It is, however, unclear as to whether or not he actually did provide such testimony.

The killing of Sanchez and his mother, Elvira Pimentel, 43, has renewed concerns about the risks of providing police with information about crimes, a longstanding problem in many Boston neighborhoods. “People don’t understand that part of the reason why they’re uncooperative is because either themselves as individuals or their families are being threatened,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Brown, executive director of the Boston TenPoint Coalition, an antiviolence organization.

It also underscores the struggle of witnesses who must decide whether to come forward when they live in neighborhoods where even the perception that one has cooperated with authorities can be deadly.

There is a taxpayer-funded program which allows the Commonwealth to move certain witnesses and endangered relatives to other parts of the state for several months. Suffolk prosecutors often use this in cases gang violence, when intimidation has sometimes led to recantations and acquittals.

“We don’t leave people alone with their fear, and all we ask in return is the truth,” quoth the Commonwealth.

One remaining question that people seldom deal with, however, is what is that “truth”?

Attorney Sam’s Take On Murder Investigations And The Plight Of Witnesses

First of all, do not look for a Commonwealth conspiracy in the fact that Suffolk County will not reveal whether or not Sanchez actually gave information to the Grand Jury before he was slain. By law, proceedings in the Grand Jury are secret, at least until any resulting indictment is revealed.
Continue reading

The tragic results of the search for Celina Cass, the 11-year-old girl from Stewartstown, N.H. was announced earlier this week. After a nearly weeklong search, dive teams found the missing girl Monday about a quarter mile from her home. Assistant Attorney General Jane Young said the girl’s death was suspicious because of the condition of the body, but she declined to be specific.

How Celina came to be where she was found officially remains unknown. So far, even the autopsy has not been able to determine the facts.

Folks are understandably impatient and anxious to find an answer to the mystery. Almost from the start, the pressure was on the police for immediate answers. People were furious that the autopsy did not yield an immediate solution.

In the experience of this experienced Boston criminal lawyer, such pressure does not necessarily help the cause of Justice.

Quick results speedily obtained are often misleading. In this case, rushed suspicions of guilt began to be forecast right away…if you understood the “between the lines” messages.

A pickup truck parked near Celina’s home was towed away as they investigated the area of the house in which she lived. According to accounts, the bed of the silver truck was filled with two trash barrels, with a pizza box showing in one. A New Hampshire State Police major crime unit truck was also parked in the driveway along with another similar truck.

In the area…the all-too familiar scene of a town mourning its own remembers and questions. At a make-shift shrine near the home a note was left saying, “I promise to think of you each day. You are the greatest person. I love you Celina Cass. I miss you. You never deserved anything like this. I thank you for being a great friend and for being in my life. You are the greatest. I LOVE YOU!

On the radio yesterday, sound bites could be heard of suspicion and even a few folks indicating that they believe they know who the responsible party is. Of course, they don’t…but sometimes suspicions can be as powerful as truths. And when it comes to criminal justice, this is a very dangerous fact.

Meanwhile, almost as soon as the body was found, we were treated to little updates about Celina’s stepfather and his behavior.

Stories circulated among media outlets that “Celina’s stepfather was taken to a hospital Monday morning” and that he “was taken by ambulance after repeatedly lying down in the family’s driveway and rolling around, and video showed him dropping to his knees in the driveway and then lying face-down, with his head resting on his hands.”

During this time of crisis, reports were also released that the stepfather, in 2003, was “involuntarily committed to a hospital in Concord after he entered his girlfriend’s house in the middle of the night and threatened to throw her down stairs, according to court documents. An order signed by a probate judge indicated that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and believed corrections officials implanted a transmitter in his body to keep track of him.” Further, it was released that, in that case, he had “served in Operation Desert Shield before receiving a medical discharge from the Air Force because of schizophrenia. ”

These statements were released even before any autopsy was performed.

Do you see where we are going here?

Attorney Sam’s Take On Murder Investigations And Rumor

Particularly if there is a history of any domestic violence, most police officers will tell you that, when someone disappears or is mysteriously found dead, the first suspects are members of the family. Sometimes it is a spouse. Sometimes it is a parent.
Continue reading

It is the fifth Brockton homicide this year so far.

19-year-old Brockton resident Frank J. Webb (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) is learning that “accidents happen” is not a defense in murder cases.

Particularly when said alleged accident takes place while one is breaking the law anyway. When Massachusetts weapons are involved, the Commonwealth is particularly unforgiving.

The Defendant is said to have gotten into a fight with another individual in Brockton this weekend. During said altercation, he is believed to have fired a handgun wildly in the middle of Main Street. The Commonwealth says that, while doing so, he fatally wounded a 51-year-old woman who was walking home from church.

He has been charged with the charges of murder and Massachusetts’ assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Police allegedly recovered a .45-caliber handgun at the scene.

During the Brockton bail hearing, the Defendant’s attorney argued that his client had been living with his parents, working for a cutlery business, and studying at Massasoit Community College to get his GED. He also represented that his client had no convictions on his record. The prosecutor, however, pointed out that the Defendant had two open drug cases in the district court.

Attorney Sam’s Take On Murder And Bail Conditions

“Sam, yesterday you wrote about how bad it is for a lawyer to seem fake and that his/her credibility is important. I guess this lawyer has already blown his, right?”
Continue reading

Seventeen years ago, an unspeakable tragedy happened. It began with the disappearance of a 10-year-old-girl named Holly Piranien. It ended with news of a Sturbridge kidnapping and, apparently, a Brimfield murder. Holly had gone out to play with kittens while her family was on vacation. Her skeletal remains were found months later approximately 5 miles away from where she disappeared.

The Grafton family waited with hope as the criminal investigation began. First step was to find Holly. After they found what remained of the young girl, the search continued so as to find her killer.

The case was never solved.

Family, friends and law enforcement have not forgotten Holly, however. In fact, a billboard along Interstate 93 in Medford stands, asking for any clues that might be available at this late date.

“Justice needs to be served so this criminal does not strike again,” Carla Piranien Bourassa, Holly’s aunt said in a statement.
Continue reading