Boston Criminal Lawyers Blog
Richard Walling, 20, of Wareham, Massachusetts, was arrested on Murder Charges in connection with the stabbing deaths of Leonard Bollla, 35, adn Ryan Aponte, 24, both of Wareham, which occurred at a Wareham motel.
Walling is expected to be arraigned tomorrow morning on two counts of Manslaughter.
According to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, Bolla and Aponte were both stabbed at a Wareham motel Friday evening. Although few details have been released to date, it has been reported that the murders resulted from a botched robbery attempt, wherein two masked men broke into the front door of the motel and tried the motel owner’s daughter and boyfriend, who is Richard Walling. Apparently Walling tried to fight off the two men, Bolla and Aponte, after a scuffle, ended up stabbing both of them.
The Plymouth Police Department reported that, when officers arrived on scene, Bolla was found in the parking lot with multiple stab wounds to the chest; and Aponte was found in a wooded area behind the motel.
Notwithstanding being charged with Manslaughter, it readily appears that Walling will have a potential Defense of Self-Defense available to him, especially if it is established that Bolla and Aponte, in fact, attempted to rob the motel.
In general, a person may use reasonable force to defend himself from physical attack. However, in order to ‘legally’ assert the Defense of Self-Defense, a person may use no more force than is necessary in all of the circumstances to defend himself. Unreasonable or excessive force, for example, could turn someone who was defending himself into the aggressor.
One of the key issues, therefore, in the Manslaughter case against Walling by the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office is the number of stab wounds inflicted to the deceased. The prosecutor might argue, for example, that evidence of multiple stab wounds is indicative of Walling being the aggressor, and not acting in self-defense.
Either way, it will be interesting once more details are released and how this case unfolds…
Boston Criminal Lawyer Lefteris K. Travayiakis is available 24/7 for consultation on all major felony crimes, including Crimes of Violence such as Murder and Manslaughter.
To schedule a Free Consultation with a Boston Murder Lawyer, Contact Us Online or call 617-325-9500.