metrodesk

Dorchester man’s family pleads for justice after his body is found in North Attleborough; man was acquaintance of Patriots star Aaron Hernandez

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:39:48 GMT

The Dorchester family of Odin Lloyd, an acquaintance of New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez, on Wednesday pleaded for justice for the 27-year-old found murdered Monday in an industrial park near Hernandez’s North Attleborough home.

Boston School Committee approves distribution of condoms in all high schools

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:29:20 GMT

The Boston School Committee approved two significant policy changes Wednesday night, one of which will make condoms available in all high schools across the city and the other will beef up employee background checks.

Jury convicts Braintree man for murdering neighbor with axe in money dispute

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:35:45 GMT

A Norfolk Superior Court jury today convicted a Braintree man who admitted murdering his neighbor with an axe during a dispute over money and then hiding the man’s body in Connecticut, prosecutors said. Lucas Walters, 32, was arrested July 29, 2009 after telling police that he had murdered 31-year-old Jeffrey Phillips, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement. Walters told police that on July 24, 2009, he asked Phillips to lend him money, chopped him to death with an axe when Phillips refused, and hid the body in a shed near the Middle Street home where they both lived, the statement said.

Google search leads to prostitution arrest in Salem

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:16:38 GMT

Salem police investigating the robbery of $70 from a Bridge Street coffee shop allegedly found not only the thief but a prostitution business. While investigating an unarmed robbery at the Coffee Time Bake Shop June 10, police were given the cellphone number of a woman who allegedly knew the male thief, Salem Police Lieutenant Conrad Prosniewski said. A Google search of the phone number turned up an online advertisement to hire an escort by the name of “Misha,” Prosniewski said.

Massive cache of fireworks discovered in Hyde Park building stored near gasoline and propane tanks

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:52:21 GMT

Police and firefighters uncovered a massive cache of fireworks stored dangerously close to gasoline and propane tanks at a Hyde Park building Tuesday night, after responding to a report of a break-in at the premises, a Boston Fire Department spokesman said today. The Boston police bomb squad spent hours removing hundreds of boxes of fireworks from 1661 Hyde Park Ave. after police found the illegal explosives around 6 p.m., fire department spokesman Steve MacDonald said.

MBTA pays too much for bus maintenance, research group claims

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:44:45 GMT

The MBTA pays twice as much for bus maintenance as most other transit agencies in the country, according to a report released today by the Pioneer Institute, a public policy research organization. At a press conference outside the State House this morning, Gregory W. Sullivan, research director at the institute, said an analysis shows that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority could save $250 million over the course of the next six years by bringing down bus maintenance costs to national standards, employing fewer repairmen and fueling staff, and paying those workers less.

Whitey Bulger jury views crime scene photos from 8 slayings in which Bulger allegedly played role

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:13:57 GMT

Jurors were shown graphic crime scene photos today of eight of the 19 people James “Whitey” Bulger is accused of killing, including one man sprawled in a bullet-riddled car and another crumpled inside a telephone booth.

Fall River man arrested in fatal hit and run in Somerset

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:09:10 GMT

A Fall River man is facing charges after a hit and run crash Friday in Somerset that killed a 65-year-old man who was crossing the street in his electric wheelchair, Somerset police said today. Police arrested Richard Reis, 35, this morning after his wife responded to a reverse 911 call and told police that Reis’s father owned a car matching the description of the one that struck and killed James Moore of Somerset, Police Chief Joseph C. Ferreira told reporters.

Mother and two children escape injury when minivan is hit by MBTA commuter train in Belmont

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:52:31 GMT

A mother and her two young children are safe after their minivan was struck by a train Tuesday night in Belmont when their GPS navigation system instructed them to turn onto railroad tracks, where the car became stuck, Transit Police said.

Northeastern student pleads not guilty in second sex assault

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:45:46 GMT

A 21-year-old Northeastern student pleaded not guilty today to the second of two alleged sexual assaults that took place Friday in Mission Hill, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said. A judge set $20,000 bail and imposed a 9 p.m. curfew for Patrick Barry, who was arraigned in West Roxbury District Court on charges of assault with intent to rape and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Sunshine expected through early next week

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:16:54 GMT

A high pressure system gliding eastward will bring a much-needed dry and sunny day to southern New England, the National Weather Service said. Fine weather is set to continue, as the region finally breaks out of a stormy weather pattern through early next week, in a promising start for summer, which officially begins Friday.

Strong thunderstorms bring heavy rain, hail to Bay State

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:02:36 GMT

Powerful and fast-moving thunderstorms swept through the region Tuesday, producing pea-sized hail and flash flooding from Worcester to Boston and areas south. The heaviest rain fell in Southern Worcester County, Southern Middlesex County, and Northern Norfolk County, according to Alan Dunham of the National Weather Service.

Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez reportedly questioned in death investigation in North Attleborough

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:59:38 GMT

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH -- State and local police descended on the upscale home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Tuesday night, one day after a body was found in an industrial yard in town. North Attleborough police stood guard on either side of Hernandez’s home as troopers passed in and out of the residence and a crowd of onlookers and media milled outside.

Body of Ibragim Todashev, friend of Marathon bombing suspect, is finally flown back to Russia

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:43:44 GMT

Almost a month after he was shot and killed by a Boston FBI agent, Ibragim Todashev's body was loaded on a 5:40 p.m. flight to Russia on Tuesday, concluding his family’s nearly monthlong process of getting his body home. Todashev's family has attempted to ship the body back to Russia since it was released by the Florida medical examiner the week after the shooting on May 22. However, according to family members and friends, the FBI has yet to release his green card and passport, both confiscated during their investigation, making booking a flight difficult.

Former hit man John V. Martorano coolly describes a long parade of murders

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:34:11 GMT

Coolly and calmly, former hit man John V. Martorano today continued to lay out a grim parade of murders in horrific, cinematic detail in his testimony in the trial of notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in US District Court in Boston, Martorano has confessed to 20 murders but served only 12 years in prison after agreeing to tesitfy for the prosecution.

Head of state welfare agency details reforms aimed at preventing fraud

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:19:09 GMT

Stacey Monahan, director of the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance, went before a legislative committee and offered updates from a broad 100-day plan to reform the embattled agency. The agency has enduring months of heavy criticism over extensive reports of welfare fraud. Monahan, who was named director last week after serving as interim director since the February resignation of Daniel Curley, detailed new initiatives such as tougher requirements for those who request a fourth replacement of their EBT card.

Former hit man John V. Martorano says he’s no serial killer — and he tried to be a ‘nice guy’

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:18:03 GMT

In an intense and sometimes bizarre verbal battle with defense attorneys for James “Whitey” Bulger, ex-hit man John V. Martorano insisted today he is “a nice guy’’ who should not be considered a serial killer, even though he has murdered 20 people. “Were you a serial killer?” defense attorney Henry Brennan asked Martorano as the cross-examination of Bulger’s former henchman got underway in US District Court today. “No,’’ Martorano replied “Serial killers kill until they get caught or stop. I confessed my murders. Serial killers kill for fun. They like it. ... I never liked it. I never had any joy.”

Personal banker sentenced to two years in prison for stealing more than $100,000 from elderly man

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:25:07 GMT

A former personal banker has been sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay full restitution after stealing more than $100,000 from an elderly man and concealing her income to receive rent subsidies, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said. Before her indictment in January, Eden Cato, 29, used her position as a personal banker at a Bank of America to issue herself a debit card on a 73-year-old customer’s account, prosecutors said in a statement. She then used the card to tap the account, making 173 ATM withdrawals over nine months, collecting $103,253.50.

Northeastern University student charged in second sexual assault near Huntington Avenue

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:04:41 GMT

A Northeastern University student accused of sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint in the Mission Hill neighborhood Saturday was charged today in a second assault that occurred less than an hour later, prosecutors said. Patrick Barry, 21, is set to be arraigned on assault with intent to rape charges in West Roxbury District Court today in connection with the second attack. Both assaults occurred near Huntington Avenue early Saturday morning within a mile of Barry’s apartment, according to police.

YMCA and Boston police plan hot dog cookouts to help stem wave of violence in city

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:22:49 GMT

In an attempt to connect with a Roxbury community already stung by a summer surge in violence, Boston police officers will join YMCA staff Friday for the first in a series of hot dog cookouts they hope will attract the neighborhood’s young adults, the YMCA said today. The weekly cookout, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Friday at the Roxbury YMCA branch at 285 Martin Luther King Blvd., is part of the city’s wider strategy to engage youth in troubled neighborhoods through large social events and acclimate them to police.

Two seriously injured after single-car crash on Interstate 395

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:09:18 GMT

Troopers have shut down the left northbound lane of Interstate 395 in Webster after two people were seriously injured in a crash early this afternoon, State Police said. The car crashed at 12:20 p.m., State Police said. Local firefighters worked to free the two victims, who were trapped in the car, troopers said.

Two Boston-area rock climbers injured in fall in Maine national park

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:54:55 GMT

Two rock climbers from the Boston area were injured when one of the climbers and a guide fell more than 20 feet off a cliff, landing on the other climber, in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine, officials said. After the fall on Sunday, the injured climbers waited for more than three hours at the base of the seaside cliff as rescuers worked to remove them without causing further injuries. Bar Harbor Fire Chief Matt Bartlett said the injuries appeared to be serious but not life-threatening.

Death of a man in North Attleborough industrial park under investigation, prosecutors say

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:26:18 GMT

The death of a man whose body was found Monday in an industrial park in North Attleborough is under investigation by Bristol District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter Jr.’s office. The body was found around 5:30 p.m. Monday. Sutter’s office would not release the name of the street where the body was found and would only say it was discovered in “an industrial park in North Attleborough.’’

Northeastern University student, 21, charged with attacking woman in Mission Hill on Saturday; link to second attack is probed

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:33:16 GMT

A 21-year-old Northeastern University student allegedly attacked a woman near the Boston school on Saturday, leaving her bleeding after he tried to cut off her clothes with a knife and threatened to rape her, an Suffolk prosecutor said today. Patrick Barry was arrested Sunday and was arraigned today in Roxbury Municipal Court, where he pleaded not guilty to assault with intent to rape. Bail was set at $30,000 cash.

Warnings issued as thunderstorms sweep across Mass.

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:04:49 GMT

Cautioning residents about the possibility of high winds and large hail, forecasters issued severe thunderstorm warnings this afternoon for various areas of Massachusetts as powerful storms swept east across the state. Weather service radar late this afternoon showed a string of storms rolling towards the Boston area from Western Massachusetts. “Keep an eye on the sky,” said weather service meteorologist Bill Sipson.