Major crimes like murder and armed robbery are down in Massachusetts, according to a preliminary state analysis. But hate crimes against Jewish people recently saw a 20.5% spike.
Crime
‘Strong medicine’: SJC orders courts to begin potential release of indigent defendants as right-to-counsel crisis hits breaking point
BOSTON — Declaring a “systemic violation” of constitutional rights, Massachusetts’ highest court on Thursday ordered trial courts in Middlesex and Suffolk counties to begin hearings that could lead to the release of jailed defendants and dismissal of charges against individuals who remain unrepresented.
CPCS petitions SJC to release jailed defendants amid attorney shortage
Amid a spiraling shortage of court-appointed defense attorneys, the state’s top court is being asked to release jailed indigent defendants left without lawyers — including more than a dozen in Middlesex County — as hundreds of people statewide remain unrepresented.
Forensic breakthrough identifies killer in 1980 cold case murder of Ayer woman
AYER — More than four decades after the horrific murder of Katharina Reitz Brow shook the town of Ayer, investigators have finally identified the man responsible.
Investigators seek public’s help in 50-year-old cold case mystery
BURLINGTON — On May 22, 1975, a haunting discovery in the woods of Burlington set off a homicide investigation that has remained unsolved for half a century. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the case, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Burlington Police are making a renewed appeal to the public for help identifying the victim — a man who has only been known as “John Doe.”
Pepperell woman killed in single-vehicle crash in Vermont
THETFORD, Vt. — A Pepperell woman was killed in a rollover crash on Interstate 91 South in Thetford on Saturday afternoon, and the Vermont State Police said the driver has been cited for gross negligent operation resulting in death.
