Articles Posted in Murder

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Reports say that robberies are on the rise. I suppose that is not a big surprise, given the economic downturn we are dealing with.

Some of the attempts do have some entertainment value, though.
For example, let’s begin with such an attempt from earlier this very week. We turn to Lowell, Massachusetts. There, we find a peaceful scene. A grandmother and her 8-year-old grandson inside their home. Enjoying the day, perhaps happy that the snow from Sunday had stopped. Norman Rockwell type of scene.

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door.

End of peaceful scene.

Grandmother and Grandson were suddenly terrorized. A man and woman burst into the home, demanding money. Actually, they were more specific than that. With masks on, Grandmother tells us, “They kept wanting $1,000. They kept saying, ‘You got $1,000!”

Grandmother explained to them that she didn’t have that much money in the house.

The duo did not belie her. They demanded her purse, which she told them was in another room.

“So when he went for my pocketbook, I told my grandson run and get the police,” she said.

The 8-year-old did as Grandmother told him. He bolted from the house and ran about 100 yards to a gas station, screaming for help.

“I ran in there. I told them to call 911, because people in my house wanted money,” said the grandson.

Right after the child ran out, the couple fled without getting any money. They apparently sought to get away, but, naturally, ran in the same direction as the boy.
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Maybe we are taking the wrong approach when a juvenile brings a gun to school. After all, especially after the rash of teen-aged rampages at schools, where people were murdered, we have taken the child/gun combination very seriously. Maybe this has been a mistake.

Perhaps we should embrace it! Maybe make Uzi Firing 101 a required high school course. Actually, perhaps that is starting too little and too late. The answer may be to have each homeroom class in grade school assigned an actual tank and the kids can take turns practicing on it. I realize it may pose a bit of a problem with home-schooled kids. Tanks are big. Not all homes can accommodate one. But all kids deserve a full education. Perhaps the home-schooled kids, and kids too young for school, can be allowed to “skate by” with bazookas!

“Ok”, you yell as you back-hand your computer monitor. “Sam’s finally gone over the deep end!”

Really?

Well, perhaps you can explain to me the “brain trust” targeted by a new indictment that just got handed down in Hampden Superior Court. I warn you in advance, though, it is not a funny story.

The incident happened on October 26, 2008 at Massachusetts’ Westfield Sportsman’s Club (hereinafter, “Club Defendant”). There, men go to “be men” and boys go to be…the same as men, I guess. After all, if a man can handle a cute little uzi sub-machine gun, can’t a young child? And, after all, what does age matter? If a teenager can do it….then an 8 year old can, right?

Now, I could ask “why would you want them to?”, but instead of asking a question, I will simply answer. The answer is, “Well, not really.”

But, then, I guess hind-sight is 20/20 and, after all, I have the benefit of knowing what happened. How could anyone prior have even considered the possibility that giving an 8 year old little boy an Uzi to fire was a bad idea?

Well, they are considering it now; the boy is dead.
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Happy Monday. How did you start your weekend? I hear a lot of people went shopping. At Altman & Altman, LLP., we moved our offices next door.

In Fitchburg, Massachusetts, a gentleman had a high speed chase with an officer.

As usual, he did not win. He did, however, manage to injure a police officer, which successfully gained him membership into the infamous “Hey, I’ll Bet I Can Make This Worse” Club.

Of course, according to authorities, James T., 36 of Templeton (hereinafter, “Defendant 1”) had not exactly been the pillar of good judgment before the chase. There had already been a little matter of that warrant out for his arrest in connection with the robbery of the Fitchburg Savings Bank in Parkhill Plaza in April 2007.

Last Friday, police say that Detective Perry Pappas saw Defendant1 come out of a Marshall Street house around 1 p.m. and get into a black Saturn driven by a woman. The Detective followed the Saturn in an unmarked cruiser through city streets, and called for marked cruisers to help him with the arrest.

So far, so good.

Marked cruisers arrived around the intersection of Blossom and Crescent Streets. They signaled for the driver of the Saturn to stop.

That did not go over so well.

The Saturn did not stop. Instead, it drove along several more streets in the Fitchburg State College area and then hit another car at Pearl Street and Myrtle Avenue; that car, in turn, struck the cruiser driven by Police Officer Michael Rochette, police said.

The female driver of the Saturn was arrested at the scene and was taken to Leominster Hospital. Officer Rochette and three people in the car his cruiser collided with were taken to Leominster Hospital with what police said are non-life-threatening injuries.

Defendant 1, however, was not done yet.
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A new year is just about dawning! There is a new administration coming in to lead the country! Even our Cambridge office is moving (next door)! Let’s face it, people are on the go!

And, as goes “the people”, so goes the criminal justice system.

For example, let’s look at the case of the “Traveling Brawl Show” which opened its tents this week. It had a relatively short run, though. It ran from the evening hours of Tuesday to the morning hours of Wednesday, starting in Dennis, Massachusetts and ending in Hyannis.

It was not a “feel good” type of show, though. The star of the show, Patrick D., 27, of Dennisport (hereinafter, “Defendant 1”) performed the last act solo amidst charges of assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

The touring group began around 9:30pm on Tuesday at a Christy’s in Dennisport. A customer mentioned to the store’s assistant manager that a fight was underway near the dumpster to the rear of the store. The employee looked out and saw about 10 people fighting, including one with a baseball bat.

The assistant manager called the Dennis police. Meanwhile, the fight moved to the middle of Route 28, stopping traffic. The participants fled when Dennis police cruisers arrived.

According to court documents, the altercation allegedly led to two men being beat with one or more baseball bats and to the stabbing of Defendant 1 ‘s brother. The injured were taken by others, including Defendant 1 , to the hospital.

Later that night, Officer Barrette was dispatched to the hospital to stand by the victims while Dennis police were en route to take statements. Hospital security guards took Barrette into an office to observe the people who had arrived with the injured.

The officer said he saw a man run into the emergency room lobby being chased by Defendant 1 . The man stood behind a hospital guard, but Defendant 1 allegedly still punched him.
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The criminal defense attorney of William Balfour, Jennifer Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law, says his client is not guilty of killing the Oscar winner’s mother, nephew, and brother. Balfour was formally charged this week with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, her brother Jason Hudson, and her nephew Julian King, as well as one count of home invasion. Balfour was separated from Hudson’s sister Julia, which makes King, 7, his stepson.

Balfour, who was being detained in a state prison for a possible parole violation was sent back to police custody upon his arrest for the killings. He had been questioned about the murders before, but was released without being charged until now.

His defense lawyer says that the amount of time that passed between when the murders happened in October and his client’s arrest this week indicates that the case against Balfour is weak. He is calling his 27-year-old client a “convenient” suspect. Balfour’s mother also maintains her son’s innocence and says police relied on a statement made by a girlfriend who is facing a drug charge.

Police, however, say that no deals were made with witnesses and there is enough evidence to convict Balfour for the Hudson family murders. They claim that not only do they have physical evidence, including the murder weapon, but they also have testimony that could convict the 27-year-old.

Police believe the three murderers were domestic violence-related and that Julia Hudson and William Balfour had been quarreling when the killings happened. Donerson and Hudson were found shot to death at the family’s home. King’s body was found four days later in a sport utility vehicle.

Balfour’s bond hearing is scheduled for today.

Charges filed against William Balfour in Hudson family slayings, Chicago Sun-Times, December 2, 2008
Police confident Hudson family murders solved, Reuters, December 2, 2008
Lawyer: William Balfour Innocent of Jennifer Hudson Family Murders, People, December 2, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Jennifer Hudson Biography, IMDB
Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother murdered in Chicago, Daily News, October 25, 2008 Continue reading

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Sometimes it’s the opposite of a chase…!

Yesterday’s daily blog focused on police chases and attempts by defendants to get away from the scene of the alleged crime.

But in Weston, on Route 117 early Saturday morning, Joaovitor R, 18, of Watertown (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) is said to have driven right into two police officers.

Literally.

Yesterday, the Defendant appeared before the court to answer various charges related to the event. Although pleading not guilty, he is being held pending a dangerousness hearing at Waltham District Court.

The event took place as Sgt. Keith Kasprzak and Officers Steve McShane and David Zampell were investigating an unrelated accident involving a pickup truck that hit a utility pole in the Conant Road area of Route 117 at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday.

As Officer Zampell was directing westbound traffic, a car approached him. It was allegedly the Defendant.

The car stopped within inches of the officer.

And then the driver hit the gas.
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North Attleboro, Massachusetts, had more than its fair share of attempted escapes from law enforcement last week. Two such cases graced the hallowed halls of Attleboro District Court last Friday.

One case involved some teenagers who led the police on a high-speed chase into the welcoming arms of Rhode Island. The teens, a 15-year-old girl and three lads of 17, all of Providence, (hereinafter, “Defendants 1”) ,allegedly broke into vehicles at an Attleboro movie theatre and then took off in a stolen car.

Defendants 1 then led the police on a chase on Interstate 295 at speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Once they reached Rhode Island, the North Attleboro police broke off the chase.

Home free?

Afraid not.

Three of them were returned to Massachusetts (one is trying to fight extradition) to answer charges of breaking and entering, vandalism charges and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The driver also faces traffic offenses.

You see, the North Attleboro police are not alone in the world. They have friends. Take Rhode Island law enforcement, for example. Rhode Island authorities picked up the chase, which ended on Route 7 in Smithfield, R.I., when the vehicle crashed into a brushy area off the highway.

So, other than the Massachusetts charges, they all now all face related charges in Rhode Island.

While two of the above-mentioned boys were arraigned in North Attleboro District Court last Friday, they had plenty of people to talk to. For example, there was Dennis W., 23, of North Attleboro (Hereinafter, “Defendant 2”). The police say that Defendant 2, an alleged drunk driver, struck a utility pole and drove off before calling a friend to drive his car.
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Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, there are a few families for whom this holiday season has not begun so well.

Let’s turn to Hampshire, Massachusetts, for example. On Wednesday, as the rest of us prepared for family gatherings and big dinners, Debra B., 53, of Northampton (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) learned that she would be spending the holiday as a guest of the Commonwealth. It seems that she and the Department of Social Services (“DSS”) have had a disagreement of sorts.

The disagreement allegedly included some threats.

Threats that have brought to light what one might call a dysfunctional family situation.

The case has a bit of a history to it. It apparently began back in 2006 when the Defendant’s son was taken away from her by DSS. This was allegedly occasioned by the 7-year-old autistic boy’s complaint that she had duct-taped him to a chair and threatened him with a knife. Most of the criminal charges against the Defendant in that incident were eventually dropped.

The heated custody fight over her son did not end so easily.

As the battle between DSS and the Defendant raged, she is alleged to have done certain things which were of concern to the Commonwealth. One such thing is that she was reported to have looked up the home addresses of some social workers on the Internet. She is also said to have threatened to shoot Judge Judd J. Carhart at a hearing and told another woman in court that she was “in her crosshairs.”

This landed her in jail on September 8th.

Perhaps misunderstanding the message this was supposed to have sent, the Defendant allegedly threatened to kill a different judge, as if this would clear things up.

Things were not cleared up. Law enforcement sought a search warrant for her apartment instead.
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Angel R., 43, a former Springfield firefighter (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) has been having a bad time of it lately.

In July, he was arrested in connection with a fight with another gentleman.

Well, it allegedly involved alittle more than a simple fight; his fellow combatant, hereinafter referred to as “slashed”, ended up cut up through use of a box cutter. The Defendant was arrested for attempting to kill him.

The fight had taken place outside an apartment in Sixteen Acres on Allen Park Road. Slashed, who had been outside the home of his two children and their mother, had reportedly been slashed several times and still had a piece of blade lodged in his neck as it had broken off.

The Defendant was arrested and charged with assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and armed assault with intent to murder.

Police said that while in court, he apparently did or said something to violate the terms of his release and so a warrant was issued.

The Defendant was initially denied the right to bail, but in September, Judge Tina S. Page granted bail at $10,000 cash or $100,000 personal surety and stipulated that the Defendant was to have no contact with either Commonwealth witness, namely, Slashed and his children’s mother.

Apparently, the Defendant had also had a relationship with the children’s mother.

Do I see the form of a potential love triangle forming?
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Prosecutors on Friday filed a motion to dismiss one of the 1st degree murder charges against the 8-year-old boy who is accused of shooting his father and another victim. The boy’s father, Vincent Romero, and Tim Romans, Romero’s roommate, died from injuries they sustained in the shooting.

According to police, the boy confessed to shooting the two men in their home using a .22-caliber rifle on November 5, 2008. They recorded his confession on video.

 

 

A CBS legal analyst, however, called the interrogation of the boy “absurd.” Lisa Bloom noted that children younger than age 12 are susceptible to telling adults what they want to hear during questioning. She pointed out that the boy’s confession came only after a police officer questioned him repeatedly and prior to that the 8-year-old denied shooting the gun that killed Romero and Romans.

The boy did not have an attorney, legal guardian, or parent present during the interview by the two cops who were armed, and he was not read his Miranda rights. Other legal and child psychology experts are questioning whether the boy’s videotaped confession will be admissible in court.

Prosecutors say the boy was interviewed because they initially believed he was a victim. An assistant federal public defender says the interrogation should have stopped once the boy became a suspect.

The boy’s two 1st degree murder charges were filed in juvenile court, but St. Johns Police Chief Roy Melnick says he will try to have the boy prosecuted as an adult. To date, however, an 8-year-old has never been tried as an adult in criminal court.

Trying Juveniles in Adult Criminal Court
Sometimes, the severity of a juvenile crime may allow prosecutors to charge a juvenile in adult criminal court, where the penalties are much more severe.

Lawyers Drop One Murder Charge Against Boy, CBS News, November 22, 2008
Experts Doubt That 8-Year-Old’s Taped Confession in Double Killing Is Admissible, New York Times, November 21, 2008
Related Web Resource:

CBS News Video provided by YouTube
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