Saturday, April 13, 2013
Gov. Patrick plans to name Gerry Leone's permanent successor next week.
Gov. Deval Patrick has named First Assistant District Attorney Michael Pelgro as the acting Middlesex County District Attorney to replace Gerry Leone. Patrick, who made the announcement in a statement on Friday, April 12, plans to announce a permanent appointment to fill out Leone's term next week, according to the Lowell Sun. Voters will elect a new DA in the biennial election in 2014. In January, Leone announced he would not seek a third term. In March, Leone announced he would join a private law firm. Pelgro, in a statement from Patrick's office, said he is honored to take the job. “I am very grateful that the Governor has exhibited the confidence in me, to appoint me to such an important position of public trust,” he said. “I am …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Christopher Souza was strangled to death with video-game cords on Nov. 22, 2009.
The Middlesex District Attorney's office has charged two people in connection to the death of 24-year-old Somerville resident Christopher Souza, who was found murdered in 2009. The district attorney's office says Michael Barnett, 32, of Somerville, was indicted by a Middlesex grand jury on charges of murder, armed robbery and witness intimidation. A date for arraignment has not been set, according to the district attorney's office. Souza, a lifelong resident of the Mystic River Housing Development, was killed on Nov. 22, 2009, and his mother found him dead in the living room the next morning, according to MyFoxBoston and the district attorney's office. Authorities believe Barnett wanted to buy drugs, went into Souza's home, stole his Xbox …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Leone will join the law firm of Nixon Peabody on April 29.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone is stepping down from his office to join the law firm of Nixon Peabody, the same firm former Sen. Scott Brown earlier this month said he was joining. An announcement from Nixon Peabody says Leone will join the firm as a partner in the government investigations and white collar defense practice beginning April 29. A woman at the Middlesex District Attorney's office confirmed the news, but did not have further details. Leone was first elected as Middlesex district attorney in 2006, and his current term in office was up in 2014. He previously stated he would not run for reelection at the end of his term. Boston.com has reported Gov. Deval Patrick will appoint a replacement for the remainder of Leone's …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Gerry Leone said he has no specific plans after he leaves office.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone has announced he will not seek a third term in 2014, according to his office. Leone made the announcement during an awards ceremony with his staff on Jan. 10 "These decisions are, and should be, predicated upon what is best for the person and their family," Leone said in a statement. "What is best for me and my family is that I not seek another term. As someone who is much smarter than I am once said, 'I must be willing to give up what I am, in order to become what I will be.' Other than a husband and father, I am not yet sure what that will be when I am no longer a district attorney." Leone said he does not plan to seek another elected office but has no other specific plans at the moment, according …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Santano Dessin, 33, of Somerville, has been accused of shooting a 28-year-old on Lower Broadway.
Santano Dessin, 33, of Somerville, was arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court Monday on charges of armed assault to murder, mayhem, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. Dessin has been accused of shooting a 28-year-old victim on Nov. 11, 2012, on Lower Broadway after getting into an argument with him. The victim "currently remains in serious condition, with a bullet lodged in his neck," according to the Middlesex District Attorney's office. Dessin will next appear in court on Feb. 13 for a dangerousness hearing. Suspect in November's Lower Broadway Shooting …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Santano Dessin, 33, has been charged with armed assault to murder, mayhem and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon
Santano Dessin, 33, has been indicted in connection to a Nov. 11 shooting on Lower Broadway, according to an announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office. Dessin has been charged with armed assault to murder, mayhem, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the announcement says. Here's the announcement: A Somerville man has been indicted on a charge of armed assault to murder in connection with a November 11 shooting that left a victim with life-threatening injuries, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today. Santano Dessin, 33, of Somerville, was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on charges of armed assault to murder, mayhem, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily…
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Lawyers for Winter and his codefendant said the prosecution's statement of facts and allegations is "one-sided," according to Bostonherald.com.
On Tuesday, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman impounded, at least temporarily, the prosecution's statement of facts and allegations against former Winter Hill Gang boss Howard "Howie" Winter, according to Bostonherald.com. Winter, 83, of Millbury, and a codefendant, James Melvin, 70, of Braintree, are accused of trying to extort $35,000 each from two businessmen, and they were arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court Tuesday morning. The Middlesex District Attorney's statement of facts and allegations includes the names of the two businessmen, electronic surveillance evidence—state police collected video and audio recordings of Winter and Melvin allegedly taking money from the two businessmen—and other details of the case against …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Ryan Perez hid in a bathroom stall and shot video of women with his cell phone, according to prosecutors.
Ryan Perez, 25, of Somerville, was arrested in November of 2011 and charged with taking videos of women in the locker room of the YMCA. Today, Perez pleaded guilty, according to an announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office. In addition to finding videos of four different women, determined to have been taken in the YMCA locker room, police also found child pornography on his phone, the distirct attorney's office said. Perez was discovered when a woman, who had just taken a shower at the YMCA and was getting dressed, noticed him slide a cell phone under the bathroom door and point it in her direction. Here's the complete announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office: WOBURN- A Somerville man pleaded guilty to …
Monday, November 12, 2012
A 28-year-old victim was shot in the neck, according to the district attorney.
A Somerville man was scheduled to be arraigned in Somerville District Court Tuesday morning and charged with the Sunday night shooting in East Somerville of a 28-year-old victim. Somerville Police Sunday night arrested 33-year-old Santano Dessin, of 196 Broadway, in connection to the shooting, which occured at the same address, according to an announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office and a Somerville Police booking log. According to the district attorney's office, Dessin is accused of shooting the victim in the neck after the two got into a verbal argument. It doesn't appear to be a random attack, the DA's office said. The victim was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained…
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Howie Winter and James Melvin allegedly tried to extort $35,000 from businessmen who made a loan to an attorney.
Howie Winter, former boss of the notorious Winter Hill Gang, was indicted Thursday on charges of extorting money from two men, according to an announcement from the Middlesex District Attorney's office. Winter, 83, from Millbury, and James Melvin, 70, of Braintree, were indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on charges of attempted extortion and conspiracy, according to the announcement. According to allegations against them, Winter and Millbury intervened when two businessmen made a series of loans to an attorney who then had trouble repaying the loans, the announcement says. Winter and Melvin allegedly met with one of the businessmen at the Sons of Italy in Medford, on Broadway, just across the street from Somerville's Trum Field and near …
Rosa Portillo
3:51 pm on Thursday, November 15, 2012
The victim just happens to be a friend of mine. Also he causes no trouble at all. NEVER. He is very quiet. It just so happens that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And now he's practically dead. He was shot in the neck about 3 times. He was left in critical condition. Now he can't speak. more ›