logo
Motion to suppress alcohol evidence in deadly Longmeadow crash allowed

Motion to suppress alcohol evidence in deadly Longmeadow crash allowed

Yahoo26-04-2025

SPRINGFIELD — Nearly three years after a car crash took the life of a Longmeadow teen, the young driver charged with motor vehicle homicide won a motion to squash evidence related to alleged alcohol consumption.
On May 7, 2022, a collision on Green Willow Drive killed Katarina 'Kat' Boskovic, 18, and nearly killed classmate Shea Hamel. A Longmeadow High School senior, Zachary Elfman, then 17, was charged with drunken driving, motor vehicle homicide and related counts.
Now nearing 21, Elfman has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The case has dragged for years and Juvenile Court Judge David B. Paradis recently issued an evidentiary decision that may imperil the case, though Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni recently insisted the prosecution will withstand the blow.
'We're extremely disappointed and dismayed by the judge's decision with which we vigorously disagree, and it is legally flawed,' Gulluni said during an interview this week.
Paradis hung his ruling on the fact that Elfman was a juvenile and not permitted to speak with his father on scene, in addition to running afoul of Miranda warning standards and insisting that Elfman perform field sobriety tests despite an injury to his leg.
'The officer's questioning flagrantly violated the juvenile's Miranda rights and the right to have an interested adult present in his questioning,' the ruling reads.
Defense attorney Shawn P. Allyn lauded the judge's decision.
'The judge's findings are completely accurate and grounded in the record, application of the law is completely on point.' Allyn said. 'The police, upon their arrival, trampled over Zachary Elfman's constitutional rights, rushed to judgment and made multiple crime scene errors.'
The allegations are that a group of teens had been drinking heavily at Elfman's home before the three got in the car and drove away — striking a tree at the base of the street.
Boskovik, Hamel and Elfman were teammates on the high school's cross-country track team.
The case has been contentious with Allyn attempting to bar Boskovic's father from the courtroom and Paradis excusing Elfman from every hearing after his arraignment.
The next hearing in court is scheduled for May 7 — the third anniversary of the crash.
'Of all the dates they could have picked, how tone deaf is that?' said the Boskovic family's civil attorney, Raipher D. Pellegrino.
He, along with Gulluni, was critical of how long the case has continued and the delay of 14 months for the judge to issue his ruling on the evidence.
'Justice delayed is justice denied,' Pellegrino said.
Gulluni's office swiftly filed an appeal, attacking the judge's rationale.
The appeal noted Elfman made puzzling remarks in the police cruiser including 'Can I get the diagnosis? Can I get the diagnosis? What's the plan?'
Pleadings in the case have included wrenching details including when Elfman was informed Boskovic, to whom he referred as his 'best friend,' was dead and Hamel, who he claimed he didn't know, 'wasn't far behind.'
Hamel survived grievous injuries after a long stint in the hospital.
Elfman sobbed at the scene and repeatedly asked responding officers for a hug, according to court records.
Gulluni also critiqued the delay in the judge's ruling.
'We're hopeful that justice will prevail for the Boskovic and Hamel families,' he said. 'The idea that this decision took 14 months is frankly unacceptable. These are good people who've been through a nightmare.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'You missed': New details emerge as teens charged in Burnsville graduation night shooting
'You missed': New details emerge as teens charged in Burnsville graduation night shooting

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

'You missed': New details emerge as teens charged in Burnsville graduation night shooting

'You missed': New details emerge as teens charged in Burnsville graduation night shooting originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Two 18-year-olds from Bloomington and Shakopee are facing drive-by shooting charges in connection to an incident following the Burnsville High School graduation ceremony on Friday, June 6. Abdulahi Jama Ali, of Shakopee, and Abdikani Mukhtar Abdiwahab, of Bloomington, were charged Monday in Dakota County District Court, Ali is charged with two counts of drive-by shooting and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. Abdiwahab is facing two drive-by shooting charges and other counts for aiding an offender. According to the criminal complaint, gunshots rang out west of Burnsville High School around 8:30 p.m., which was approximately 30 minutes after the graduation ceremony concluded. The shots were fired after police on scene had already broken up "several physical altercations" and attempted to disperse two groups who were "flashing gang signs towards each other." Ali and Abdiwahab were arrested after bystanders pointed police in the direction of the black Toyota Camry they were in. Abdiwahab was driving and Ali was in the front passenger seat, according to the complaint. While arresting the duo, officers heard a bystander shout, "Ksoe, you missed. You dumb ass. You missed." The complaint claims that Ali's nickname is "Ksoe." Further investigation revealed, allegedly, that the bystander who mocked "Ksoe" for missing was seen earlier — by witnesses in a vehicle behind the Toyota Camry — approach the Camry and talk with the duo before he "tried to punch the Camry" before the witness "saw the barrel of a gun come out of the front passenger window and open fire." Police found a handgun with an extended magazine under the front passenger seat. They also found one bullet casing on the driver's side floorboard and two more casings on the street by the vehicle. One bullet fragment was found lodged into the headlight of a vehicle parked nearby. Abdiwahab allegedly waived his Miranda rights and claimed he didn't shoot a gun and didn't know anything about a gun being shot. He also said he didn't know how a gun wound up in his car. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension collected DNA samples from the gun, Ali and Abdiwahab for analysis. No one was physically injured in the shooting. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

SF takes to the streets to protest ICE raids, demand Huerta's release
SF takes to the streets to protest ICE raids, demand Huerta's release

Axios

timea day ago

  • Axios

SF takes to the streets to protest ICE raids, demand Huerta's release

Amid escalating anti-immigration efforts, labor unions are warning San Franciscans that no one is safe from the Trump administration. Driving the news: David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, was arrested in Los Angeles Friday while serving as a community observer at a worksite immigration raid. He has been charged with conspiracy to impede an officer for allegedly blocking a law enforcement vehicle. The latest: Over 100 people packed the street in front of the Hiram W. Johnson State Building at noon Monday, calling for Huerta's release and an end to raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The rally was among over 30 spearheaded by local unions across the country. What they're saying:"It's so painful to know that this can happen to any one of us," SEIU Local 87 president Olga Miranda, who organized the protest, told Axios. "All he was doing was standing there to make sure enforcement wasn't brutal." Between the lines: Immigrants have played critical roles in California unions over the last few decades, especially in the Bay Area, which has seen success organizing janitors, health care workers and fast food employees. "Everybody should be worried ... . They're offended by our mere existence," Miranda said, referencing her identity as a brown Chicana woman. She noted that many people are increasingly scared to show up to work because of potential raids. Yes, but: Miranda emphasized that while exercising First Amendment rights is important, she does not condone "anything being set on fire" in light of Sunday's protests, where multiple Waymos were set on fire.

Man accused of shooting cousin at Les Davis Pier in Tacoma, charges say
Man accused of shooting cousin at Les Davis Pier in Tacoma, charges say

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Man accused of shooting cousin at Les Davis Pier in Tacoma, charges say

A 33-year-old man is accused of shooting his cousin after a fistfight at Tacoma's Les Davis Pier on Sunday. Officers were dispatched at about 9:30 p.m. to the 3400 block of Ruston Way after multiple people called 911 to report the shooting. The alleged shooter was on scene, according to charging documents. A crowd had formed around the injured man, who was lying on the ground, prosecutors wrote. The man was initially in critical condition after he was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, but police were later informed his status was changed to non-life threatening. The alleged shooter was standing a few feet away, and he complied with the officer's demands to drop to his knees, prosecutors wrote. He had not been shot and, the handgun was allegedly in his fanny pack. After officers arrested the man and read his Miranda rights, he allegedly said, 'I feared for my life because he did come at me attacking me,' documents show. A witness told police that she was sitting in her vehicle when she saw two men 'striking and grappling' with one another. The victim began walking away and, when he faced his cousin, the alleged shooter took out a handgun and fired at his chest, documents show. The gunman allegedly shot the victim again at his right hip. The witness said she went to the victim and started providing medical aid. She said the man allegedly repeated that it was 'self-defense' and approached to help. The witness responded saying it was not self-defense, and said she yelled at him to get back, documents show. The parents of the 33-year-old alleged shooter told police that the men were cousins and roommates, prosecutors wrote. Officers later learned from the victim's girlfriend that the men had been arguing all morning because the gunman wanted to kick the victim out of the apartment, prosecutors wrote. The girlfriend and victim went to the park to relax when the alleged shooter found them and started arguing with his cousin. Documents show the alleged shooter grabbed the victim's clothes from the vehicle and threw them on the ground. The girlfriend was in the driver's seat of her car when she heard two shots. She allegedly saw the defendant with a gun and the victim on the ground, bleeding. Other witnesses also told police they saw the man with a gun after they heard gunshots, documents show. Prosecutors in Pierce County charged the man with first-degree assault, domestic violence. His arraignment was scheduled for Monday afternoon where bail will be set. The man does not have any previous criminal convictions, court records show.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store