The Billerica community will gather at a vigil Sunday night to remember a longtime veteran of the Billerica Police Department who was killed in a crash while working a construction detail on Friday.
Sgt. Ian Taylor, 49, was working a detail at the …
Massachusetts
Boston man charged with sex-related charges after being charged with sex trafficking last month
A Boston man is being charged with sex-related charges after being charged with sex trafficking last month.
38-year-old John Jamar Cokley, from Boston, was arraigned on charges of sex trafficking of a person under 18, rape of a child by force, three counts of aggravated statutory rape, posing a child in a state of sexual conduct, two counts of causing a minor to distribute a drug, and possession of child pornography on Thursday.
Assistant DA Ashley Polin says Cokley sexually exploited three teens through Instagram.
Authorities say Cokley contacted and groomed the teens and met with each separately over the course of several months. He picked them up near their homes and drove to various locations around Boston where he sexually assaulted them in his vehicle, a white Honda Accord.
According to authorities, Cokley also rquested sexually explicit photos and recorded himself assaulting the teens.
“Cases involving manipulation and sexual exploitation of children are devastating and all too common in today’s online world. Members of the Boston Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit (HTU) and our office are focused on stopping exploitation and supporting the victims and families affected by these crimes. The young people in this case should be commended for their bravery after the discovery of this man’s actions,” said District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
He was initially charged with trafficking a person for sexual servitude, aggravated statutory rape, and possession with intent to distribute a class D substance.
Cokley is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Monday.
President of MIT calling for shutting down pro-Palestinian encampments
The president of MIT says the encampment on campus needs to be shut down here after hundreds of students at Northeastern and Emerson were arrested for similar demonstrations.
102 people were arrested on Saturday morning at Northeastern, with police breaking up pro-Palestinian encampments there. The University in their decision citing antisemitic chants to quote “kill the Jews,” something students and faculty deny. Video shows those chants came from counter-protesters holding Israeli flags.
A more violent scene unfolded at Emerson College Thursday, where 118 people were arrested for camping out in Boylston Place Alley. The student government has since taken a vote of no confidence in their president.
At MIT, around 30 students set up more than a dozen tents on the Kresge lawn, putting up signs expressing their support for the Palestinian people and calling on the university to cut their research ties with Israel.
President Sally Kornbluth releasing a video statement saying the encampments have been a clear violation of school rules from the start.
“Out of respect for the principles of free expression, we have not interfered with the encampment, but it is creating a potential magnet for disruptive outside protesters. It is commandeering space that was properly reserved by other members of our community. And keeping the encampments safe and secure for this set of students is diverting hundreds of staff hours around the clock away from other essential duties.” said Kornbluth.
Kornbluth didn’t give a timeline but said these encampments need to come down “soon.” She has police monitoring them 24 hours a day.
Three people dead in apparent murder-suicide in Lowell
Authorities say a murder-suicide took place inside an apartment in Lowell, Massachusetts on Saturday.
A man called 911 and told dispatchers he shot his wife and child shortly after 6:30 yesterday morning, according to the Middlesex District attorn…
Tick-borne Powassan virus reported in Massachusetts: ‘The virus can invade the central nervous system’
A confirmed case of the tick-borne Powassan virus has been reported in Massachusetts, according to officials who are warning residents to take precautions against the disease.
Anti-war protesters dig in as some schools close encampments after reports of antisemitic activity
As students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at college campuses across U.S. dug in Saturday and dozens of demonstrators were arrested, some universities moved to shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity.
With the death toll mountin…
