Murder

March 16, 2011

Massachusetts Convict, “Clark Rockefeller”, Adds The Charge Of Murder To His Prior Accomplishments Of Kidnapping And Assault

You might think that the new charges being brought against the man who calls himself “Clark Rockefeller” is likely to be called “The State of California vs. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter”. It is likely, however, to have the subtitle of “Clark Rockefeller vs. Christia Karl Gerhartsreiter”…particularly if he has any thought of testifying on his own behalf or putting up any character witnesses.

First of all, let’s make all our lives easier and hereafter refer to him as the “Defendant”).

In case you have not heard, the Defendant, now resting semi-comfortably in Commonwealth involuntary housing, has now been charged with a new allegation. This time, it is the crime of a murder which apparently happened over 20 years ago. The authorities in California have filed a complaint in a Los Angeles County courthouse seeking the return of the Defendant to answer for said murder. The process for doing so is called ” extradition”. The issue in this process it whether the person seized is the right person the outside state, in this case California, is seeking. If and when that is established, then California will have a certain amount of time to come and get him…assuming Massachusetts lets him out of their custody to go to California. Since the states have interstate agreements that allow for the transfer of convicts between states so they can be prosecuted on other charges, and said charges involve murder, there is virtually no liklihood that Massahusetts will refuse to give him over.
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March 9, 2011

Chelsea Man Is Found In Hospital And Arrested For Murder And Assault With Intent To Murder– Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

Chelsea Massachusetts was the scene of a violent bloody altercation on Friday.

Oscar Guttierez-Nunes, a 27-year-old Chelsea man (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) has been arrested and charged in said altercation. By the end of the altercation, one man was apparently dead and two others were wounded. One of those injured remains in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital. The police learned later about the third complainant who had admitted himself into MGH with non-life-threatening injuries
In case anybody wondered, the Defendant was also wounded. According to police, he admitted himself into the hospital under a false name.

The Defendant is currently being held without bail and stands charged with murder and two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and is due back in court on April 7th.

Right now, this is being described as an “attack”. We do not know what that means. Was the Defendant in an a fight with three other guys and somehow got the better part of the deal? Did he even get the “better part”? We know that he was injured as well and one of the others has “:non-life-threatening” injuries. Was he simply a lunatic who attacked a group of men with a knife?
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February 23, 2011

North Central MA Is Scene Of Police Shooting Death In Drug Investigation – Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

In Massachusetts, anything can be considered a dangerous weapon if it is used to commit assault and battery or homicide. We have discussed this many times. There are things, however, that should be clear to anyone to be a potential weapon. This would include an automobile and a gun. In the north-central part of the state, the town of Asby, these two weapons came confronted each other.

The gun won.

The gun was fired by a plainclothes State Police trooper( whose name has not been released and hereinafter, “Mystery Trooper”). Mystery Trooper shot and killed a man who was allegedly driving a motor vehicle in his direction…placing Mystery Trooper in fear, according to the authorities.

Mystery Trooper had been conducting a drug surveillance in the area, when he noticed activity he deemed “suspicious” from a silver Nissan Maxima inside of which was a lone lone male occupant.

Mystery Trooper tried to pull the car over, but the driver tried to drive away. Mystery Trooper followed until they reached a cul-de-sac. Mystery Trooper got out of his plainclothes vehicle and decided to stand in front of the vehicle, ordering the driver to get out of the car.
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February 22, 2011

Springfield Man Murdered In Domestic Violence Incident – Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

While the investigation is still pending, police have already decided that a Springfield man lost his life to his live-in companion.

The police responded to the home of 45-year-old Joel Echols shortly before midnight on Friday. They found Mr. Echols suffering from various stab wounds.

Police responded to the Vinton Street home of 45-year-old Joel Echols shortly before midnight on Friday to find Echols suffering from multiple stab wounds in his chest. He was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead.

Police believe that there had been a domestic disturbance involving the Mr. Echols and his girlfriend/wife (this has not been established yet apparently). It is further believed that she won the argument by the deadly assault to his upper chest.

The companion, Beverly Caldwell, 41, has been arrested and charged with murder.
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February 9, 2011

Boston Area Men Are Arrested For Drug-Related Arson-Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

The Boston Housing Authority has had to close a nine-unit building for repairs, displacing nine families after three men allegedly set fire to a unit at the Bunker Hill housing development this week. The police say that the intended victims escaped through a window. Boston firefighters extinguished the two-alarm fire, but also had to rescue second-floor residents who were trapped by heavy smoke and fire.

Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported. According to the BHA, the families have been at hotels while the new apartments for them are sought. In the meantime, the families are being aided by the Red Cross.

James Burrell and Dashaun Lanair James, both 32 and of Charlestown, and Daniel Grayson, 28, of Roxbury, (hereinafter, collectively, the “Defendants”) have been charged with the blaze and have pleaded not guilty to arson of a dwelling and other related charges.

Bail was set at $150,000 for Burrell, $85,000 for James, and $50,000 for Grayson.

The Commonwealth believes that the arson was committed in connection with a drug debt. According to police, Burrell had been arguing with a man over said drug debt. Then, police say, the Defendants were standing in a hallway of the building shortly after midnight when a flammable liquid was poured under a unit’s door. Burrell is said to have ignited the liquid and then the Defendants all allegedly ran into a neighboring apartment building on Decatur Street.
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February 2, 2011

Boston Mass Assault Results In Multi-Defendant Murder Trial- Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

Two years ago, a group of men capped off a friend’s funeral by allegedly committing murder. These gentlemen were in South Boston and are now hereinafter referred to, collectively, as the “Defendants”.

It was August, 2009, and the Defendants, dressed in their red tuxedos had apparently decided to go “clubbing” to drown their sorrows after the funeral. According to the Commonwealth, they had a verbal disagreement with 22-year-old Jose “Danny Alicea and two of his friends outside Club 33 on Stanhope Street.

These exchanged words were then capped by one of the Defendants’ allegedly throwing a bottle at their sparring partners. Yes, as in assault with a dangerous weapon (to wit: a bottle).

A melee erupted between the two groups.

Police arrived to find Mr. Alicea lying on the ground, bloody and unconscious. People were trying to wake him.

They couldn’t. He was dead.
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February 1, 2011

Medford Woman Arrested For Domestic Assault Turned Homicide-Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

There are certain times that tend to promote domestic violence. Assault cases between family members, for example, seem to rise around the holidays. Is it the drinking? The being cooped up with one’s loved ones that makes one want to kill them? This varies.

Winter storms, such as the one we are experiencing at the moment also tend to bring about such crimes..

Today’s blog, though, is about a woman who apparently could not wait until the storm outside. Allegedly.

Shawntina Burston, 39, of Medford (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) has been charged with assaulting her husband. Said husband was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. There, he was pronounced dead.

The Defendant is accused of attacking her, now ex, husband with a knife. She is scheduled to be arraigned today in Somerville District Court.

There is a veil of horror which shrouds murder cases, regardless of which side of the aisle you are on. I learned that years ago when I was prosecuting homicide cases and it continues today as I defend those charged..

In many such cases, one cannot help but turn away amazed at how one moment…one very bad moment…can end one life and shatter many others;.
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January 28, 2011

Fall River Man Released In Boston Murder But Held On Drug Charges- Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

It would appear that Fall River’s Shawn Drumgold, 45, (hereinafter the “Defendant”) has clutched defeat out of the jaws of victory. He was once wrongfully convicted of a 1988 Boston murder. He ended up being exonerated and released. He then even won a lawsuit, and a $14 million judgment for said conviction.

That’s where the good news ends.

Yesterday, he was back before the bar of justice…now arrested on drug charges, including possession of a Class A substance with intent to distribute. After pleading “not guilty”, he was released on $500 cash bail.

According to a Boston police report, an informant told police earlier this month that drugs were being sold out of a particular Roxbury. Police raided the apartment on Wednesday, the report states, and recovered several bags of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as $304 cash from the Defendant’s person. He was arrested along with several other suspects, authorities said.

The Defendant had been released in November, 2003 after prosecutors said they believed he was wrongfully convicted because he did not receive a fair trial. In April 2008, a federal jury in Boston ruled that a city police detective violated the Defendant’s civil rights during the investigation by concealing that he gave money to a key prosecution witness before that witness testified in the murder trial. The jury awarded the Defendant $14 million, plus interest, in October 2009.
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January 20, 2011

Mattapan Suspect Arraigned In Boston Superior Court For Home Invasion And Drugs But Not Murder- Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

It may take awhile for felony prosecutions to come, but, usually, when the police painstakingly take their time in their investigation, suspects emerge. This is being played out in Boston’s Suffolk Superior Court. Kimani Washington, 35 (hereinafter the “Defendant”), has been arrested in connection with the quadruple homicide in Mattapan in September. He was charged with various charges, including armed robbery, armed carjacking, trafficking cocaine, and being an armed career criminal.

He has pleaded “Not Guilty” and was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail after arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court.

Interestingly, the Defendant was not charged in the actual murders, although the prosecutors allege that he was a mastermind behind the armed home invasion that precipitated the deadly shootings.

Apparently, during the investigation into the murders, police found over 28 grams of crack cocaine allegedly taken during the robbery, as well as two guns. They say that these were found in a location where the Defendant often stayed. The Commonwealth also claims that one of these firearms were fired during the multiple homicide.

The Defendant is not the only one charged in the case. Another man has been actually charged with the murders and are expected in Suffolk Superior Court shortly. Further, another gentleman was arraigned previously arraigned on murder charges and held without bail.
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January 17, 2011

Former Massachusetts Police Chief Not Guilty in Gun Homicide Of Child-Attorney Sam’s Take

by Samuel Goldberg

Today is the first holiday in quite a while that former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury (hereinafter, the “Ex-Defendant”) can breathe freely. The cloud of criminal allegations which has surroundied him since 2008 has finally lifted. He was finally acquitted of homicide charges in the tragic death of the late young Christopher Bizilj.

The Ex-Defendant’s firearms training company co-sponsored an annual Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman’s Club, about 10 miles west of Springfield. Young Christopher’s dad brought the 8-year-old to the event. In doing so, he also signed a waiver acknowledging the risks and absolving anyone else of liability should something bad occur.

Something very bad did.

The boy was shooting a 9 mm micro Uzi at some pumpkins, when the gun kicked back and shot him in the head. The Ex-Defendant was not present in the area in which this took place, although the father and other personnel were.
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