Boston Criminal Lawyers Blog

Boston Police Arrest Dorchester Man in Connection with Mattapan Murders

Published on: October 2, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Kimani Washington, 35, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was arrested yesterday in connection with the Mattapan murders that took the lives of four people, one of which was a 2 year old boy. Although Washington was not charged with Murder, he was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Receiving Stolen Motor Vehicle.

As reported in the Boston Criminal Lawyer’s Blog on September 28th, Simba Martin, Levaughn Washum-Garrison, Eyanna Smith and her 2 year old son were all found naked and shot to death at 40 Woolson Street in Mattapan in what is believed to be a drug deal gone bad.

A 5th victim, Marcus Hurd, still remains hospitalized from gunshot wounds and is in critical condition. Boston Police have previously stated that he is not expected to survive. Prior to Hurd falling unconscious in his hospital bed, he reportedly told police that he had gone to buy marijuana and that someone had shot him and taken the car.

Newton North High School Senior Charged with Murder of Waltham Man

Published on: October 1, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Benjamin Peirce, a 17 year-old senior at Newton North High School, was arrested today and arraigned in Waltham District Court for the shooting and killing of Adam Coveney, 29, in his own apartment in Waltham. Peirce was charged with Murder and Armed Assault to Commit Murder.

The Waltham Police Department reports that officers responded to Coveney’s apartment shortly after 11:03 p.m. last night after reports of gunfire in the area. Once in the apartment building, Coveney was found wounded and rushed to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Middlesex County District Attorney and Waltham Police Department believe that Peirce and a group of friends went to Coveney’s apartment in Waltham under the ruse to buy drugs, but with the intention of robbing him of his drugs and money.

Boston Man Arrested for Murder of Waltham Student at Regis College

Published on: September 30, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Robenson Daniel was arrested this morning and charged with Murder and several other Crimes of Violence in the stabbing death of Elhaji Malick Ndiaye, 18, of Waltham, as well as for stabbing another man outside a Regis College dormitory.

Daniel was arraigned this morning in Waltham District Court on charges including Murder, Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, and Armed Assault with Intent to Murder, and was held without bail.

According to the Waltham Police Department and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, Daniel, Ndiaye and the other man were visiting friends at Regis College last week. At some point, an argument ensued between Daniel and the two men in the dormitory, but spilled out into the parking lot, which then led to a fight. In the parking lot, Daniel is alleged to have stabbed one man several times before being pulled off of him, and then attacked Ndiaye, who was standing nearby, and stabbed him in the chest. According to police and the prosecutor’s office, video surveillance from Regis College helped identify Daniel as the alleged perpetrator.

Massachusetts State Trooper Arrested for DUI and Assault on Off-Duty Boston Police Officer

Published on: September 29, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Massachusetts State Trooper Timothy Walsh was arraigned on Monday on DUI-related charges and for pulling his gun on an off-duty Boston Police Officer. He was arraigned this past Monday for Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Illegal Discharge of a Firearm and other related Drunk Driving Charges.

Walsh is alleged to have hit several cars early this past Saturday morning on Boston Street. A Boston Police Officer who lives on the street responded to the incident, and Walsh then allegedly pointed his gun at him. Boston Police further allege that Walsh then went into the Boston Police Officer’s home and fired his gun.

As a result of this incident and his arrest, Walsh was indefinitely suspended without pay. He is an 18 year Army Veteran who served in Afghanistan. At his arraignment in Dorchester District Court, he was released on Personal Recognizance but ordered to remain alcohol-free; submit to random alcohol breath tests, and to submit to a Mental Health Evaluation.

Boston Murder Numbers Rise in Shooting of 3 Adults and 1 Child in Mattapan

Published on: September 28, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Early this morning, rampant gunfire led Boston Police to respond to 40 Woolson Street in Boston’s Mattapan section, where the bodies of two naked males, Simba Martin and Levaughn Washum-Garrison, and Eyanna Smith and her 2 year old son, Amani Smith, were fatally shot. Another third naked male, Marcus Hurd, who was also shot was rushed to Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.

The Boston Police have not revealed whether they have any suspects at this time, but have reported that witnesses heard six gunshots, and then see a ‘shadowy’ figure running down the street followed by a silver or light grey vehicle. That the victims’ bodies were found naked in the street, according to the Boston Police, is an indication that the shooting resulted from a robbery or a drug deal gone bad.

Boston Police are said to be in the process of obtaining a Search Warrant for a home at 23 Sutton Street in Mattapan, which is believed to be the home of one of the victims, Simba Martin, and where the altercation is believed to have started. Sources also told police that Hurd had gone to Mattapan to buy marijuana.

Boston Man Wanted for Dorchester Murders Captured in Trinidad

Published on: September 21, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

A Boston man with roots from Mattapan has been captured in Trinidad in connection with the Murder of three people at a Dorchester party last year.

Keron Pierre, 25, had been living in Trinidad with his wife. He was arrested on September 7 in marijuana charges and following his arrest, police discovered he was wanted out of Boston for Murder Charges. It was also discovered that he was also wanted in Trinidad in connection with another shooting there in March 2010.

Boston Police allege that Pierre killed Shacora Gaines of Brockton; Chantal Palmer, also of Brockton, and Anthony Peoples, 19, of Boston. The three friends were reported to have been leaving a party on Mt. Ida Road in Dorchester when Pierre and another man, Nigel A. Nichols, approached them and started hitting on the women. This lead to an argument between the parties, and Pierre then allegedly fired into the car the three were traveling in, killing all three.

Wayland Man Charged with Attempt to Kill at Sudbury Gas Station

Published on: September 20, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Vandie Porter, 67, of Wayland, Massachusetts, was arrested yesterday morning for allegedly attempting to kill or maim after a fight broke out at a Sudbury gas station between him and another man and his son.

Sudbury Police allege that Porter ambushed the unnamed victim after he exited the Valero Gas Station in Sudbury and immediately began assaulting him. Porter also allegedly threatened to kill him and his entire family. Although it is unclear what prompted the altercation, Sudbury Police believe that the two men were acquainted with one another and that this was not a random incident.

Vandie Porter was arrested and charged with Assault & Battery, Attempted Murder, and Threats to Commit Murder.

Dorchester Man Arrested in Robbery of Boston Cab Company

Published on: September 17, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Two men have now been charged with robbing at gunpoint over $21,000 from the Boston Cab Company Dispatch Center, which occurred on November 9, 2009. Marvin Smith, 54, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, is scheduled to be arraigned today in the Boston Municipal Court on charges that include Armed Robbery.

The other man, Gerald M. Hill, 47, had already been charged with Armed Robbery for his role in the Boston Cab Company Robbery. At the time of Hill’s arrest, he released from prison and on parole for Manslaughter in connection with the death of Leo Murphy, who was fatally stabbed in Boston’s South End in 1977.

While that Manslaughter case was pending, Hill was then also charged with Second Degree Murder. He was one of three men who participating in the 1978 shooting of Max Fishman, then 63. At the time, Hill was 16 years old and pled guilty to Second Degree Murder. For his role with respect to both killings, Hill was committed to state prison for 30 years.

John Odgren Loses Appeal for Reduced Murder Sentence

Published on: September 16, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Lawyers for John Odgren appealed to Middlesex Superior Court Judge S. Jane Haggerty earlier this week, appealing that his sentence be reduced from First Degree Murder to Second Degree Murder.

Convicted of First Degree Murder for killing 15 year-old classmate James Alenson at Lincoln-Sudbury High School in 2007, Odgren was sentenced to serve a mandatory life sentence in state prison, without the possibility of parole. If the petition was successful, John Odgren would have been parole eligible after serving 15 years in prison.

Although Odgren’s defense focused on Insanity / Lack of Criminal Responsibility, arguing that he was insane at the time of the murder because of his history of emotional problems and mental health issues, including Asperger’s Syndrome. Jurors that heard the case found that he was, in fact, sane at the time of the stabbing.

Boston College Student Charged with Armed Robbery of Brighton Convenience Store

Published on: September 15, 2010 | by Lefteris K. Travayiakis, Esq.

Michael Kevin McCarthy, 22, of Roslindale and a part-time student at Boston College, was recently arraigned on several felony Violent Crimes Charges for robbing Tedeschi’s Convenience Store in Brighton on August 13, 2010. He has formally been charged with Armed Robbery, Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, and Using a Disguise to Obstruct Justice.

Boston Police Officers and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office allege that, on August 13, 2010, McCarthy entered the Tedeschi’s in Brighton’s Cleveland Circle at 1:00 a.m. and asked if the coffee was fresh. He left the store and then returned later that morning, around 5:00 a.m., and allegedly pistol-whipped the clerk. The clerk then turned over the cash to him from both cash registers.

During its investigation, the Boston Police Department obtained still photos of the incident from the video surveillance system and posted them on Massachusetts’ Most Wanted. A few days later, they reportedly received a tip that the person involved was McCarthy and that he was a student at Boston College. Working alongside Boston College Police, Boston Police Officers were then able to match the man portrayed in the video to the student records on file. A photo array was then taken to the victimized store clerk, who positively identified McCarthy as the alleged robber.