A Massachusetts man who was 19 years old when he drowned his father in a Duxbury pond has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Jack Callahan, now 22, told police in 2021 that he tried to exorcise a “demon” from his father, 57-yea…
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A Massachusetts man who was 19 years old when he drowned his father in a Duxbury pond has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Jack Callahan, now 22, told police in 2021 that he tried to exorcise a “demon” from his father, 57-yea…
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A man was fatally shot in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Wednesday night and his suspected killer was arrested, authorities said.
Jason Rivera was charged with murder and is being held without bail, the Essex District Attorney’s Office and Lawrence…
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A former Massachusetts firefighter who ran a dog training and boarding facility in South Boston where he allegedly abused animals will be on probation for two years after pleading in the case, prosecutors said Thursday.
Tyler Falconer, who used to own Falco K9, on Wednesday pleaded to a continuance without a finding on two count of animal cruelty by a custodian, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. A judge sentenced him to two years of probation and ordered that he not own any animals or operate any business involving animals for three years.
Falconer was initially charged with three counts of animal cruelty by a custodian and three counts of improperly tethering or confining an animal. After he was charged, Burlington town officials announced that Falconer had been placed on paid leave from the Burlington Fire Department; he later resigned.
Prosecutors said the alleged offenses involved three dogs boarded on various dates at Falco K9 that each lost significant amounts of weight or were injured. One dog allegedly lost 20 lbs.; another allegedly suffered a foot wound requiring medical attention.
“All animals, especially pets at a facility specialized to board and shelter them, should be treated with care. Pets bring so much happiness to those in their lives. Boarding pets can be stressful, and owners deserve to know that their pets are being treated compassionately,” Hayden said in a statement Thursday.
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Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden paid a $5,000 civil fine for violating conflict of interest laws during the 2022 Democratic primary election, according to the State Ethics Commission.
The violation concerns the Democratic primary for the Suffolk County District Attorney race, which Hayden won over then-Boston city councilor Felix Arroyo. In August 2022, during the height of the race, a newspaper article resurfaced allegations against Arroyo in a 2005 sexual assault investigation. It set off a firestorm of criticism and prompted back-and-forth release of documents as Arroyo attempted to defend himself as he lost endorsements. It’s worth noting that the case was ruled unfounded.
Just days before the primary, on Sept. 2, 2022, Hayden’s office issued a statement that his office had reviewed the files in the case, and that “nothing in the file suggests the allegations were unfounded,” and that “the campaign to sabotage the victim’s credibility is shameful.”
That statement is what concerned the Ethics Commission, which said that Hayden knew his staff intended to release that statement and took no action to stop it. He also made no effort to withdraw the statement after the fact.
“By these failures to act, Hayden knowingly or with reason to know used his official position as Suffolk District Attorney to secure for himself the unwarranted privilege of using valuable public resources for his own personal political advantage and violated the conflict of interest law,” the Commission said in a media release.
Hayden went on to win the primary and the overall election for his position. He has paid the fine and signed an agreement admitting to the violation, and waiving his right to a hearing.
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The Boston bouncer who allegedly stabbed a 23-year-old Marine veteran to death in March of 2022 is expected to plead guilty in Suffolk Superior Court Thursday morning, according to county prosecutors.
Alvaro Omar Larrama, who was a bouncer at the former Sons of Boston bar on Union Street near Faneuil Hall, was charged with murder in the killing of Daniel Martinez. Martinez was from the Chicago area.
The incident happened on March 19, 2022. Prosecutors at the time said that Martinez was waiting in line with a friend just before 7 p.m., when words were exchanged between Larrama and Martinez. Investigators learned that Larrama denied Martinez and his friend entry to the bar.
Prosecutors said that the pair began walking away, and was pursued by Larrama. Larrama allegedly stabbed Martinez in the chest during the incident. Martinez was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The bouncer, an East Boston resident, turned himself in two days later.
Sons of Boston had its liquor license suspended in April of 2022. A former manager and partial owner pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact in November 2023.
The bar’s ownership was preparing to reopen under the name Loyal Nine, the Boston Globe reported last year, which has since opened its doors.
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With the Karen Read trial now expected to open in just days, the judge overseeing proceedings is expected to rule on several outstanding motions that may affect how the highly scrutinized prosecution unfolds.
Lawyers were due back in Norfolk Superior Court Thursday at 10 a.m. for a motions hearing. There are several outstanding issues that Judge Beverly Cannone has yet to rule on, including whether the entire trial should be moved to a smaller courtroom.
“The court will likely decide some of them before the trial begins likely on Monday, but others will be taken under advisement,” NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said.
Read is accused of fatally hitting her boyfriend John O’Keefe, a former Boston police officer, with her SUV after a night out in Canton, though she has long maintained she is innocent and that authorities covered up who really killed O’Keefe.
On Wednesday, jury selection ended after a five-day process. Nineteen jurors were picked from hundreds interviewed, according to the defense, and the group will be whittled down to 16: 12 jurors and four alternates. The jury still needs to be sworn in.
The number of jurors fluctuated throughout the five days of jury selection, with several allowed to drop out because of hardships.
Cannone has said she was open to moving proceedings to a different courtroom at Norfolk Superior Court after Read’s lawyers had argued that poor sight lines in the current room’s jury box violate their client’s constitutional right to confront witnesses face-to-face.
“In order to advance to the merits of this case without further delay or collateral distraction, I will consider moving the trial across the hall to Courtroom 25,” she said, while noting that trials have been conducted in the current room for over 100 years.
But she pointed out that the other room is smaller, and that “the only people who really can fit in that courtroom will be the press, the victim’s family and the defendant’s family.”
Read’s lawyers had submitted images of defense attorney David Yannetti on the stand, claiming at least six jurors will only see the back of witnesses’ heads.
Also Wednesday, filings were due in the dispute over the court-ordered buffer zone outside the courtroom. Karen Read supporters have appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court over a ruling requiring demonstrators to keep at least 200 feet away from the courthouse and, for those inside the court, preventing them from holding signs or wearing pro-Karen Read clothes.
The lawyer who filed the petition argues that the order violates the First Amendment.
Prior to the start of jury selection last week, Cannone announced that she’s not going to exclude the defense from using a third-party culprit defense during the trial.
Prosecutors had filed a motion seeking to prevent the defense from making such an argument.
“I’m going to give you a chance to develop it through relevant, competent, admissible evidence,” she said. “But you cannot open with it.”
Read is accused of killing O’Keefe in January of 2022. Prosecutors say she hit him with her SUV and left him in a blizzard, but her attorneys say she’s being framed as part of a massive coverup. The defense claims O’Keefe was attacked inside the home.
Cannone has said she expects the Read trial to last somewhere between 6-8 weeks once a jury is seated. She said the schedule will include full days on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and half days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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