Latest news with #MiddlesexCountyDistrictAttorney'sOffice
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Former Ogunquit man identified as killer in Massachusetts cold case
Jun. 13—The scene inside the trailer in Ayer, Massachusetts, on May 21, 1980 was grim: 48-year-old Katharina Reitz Brow lay dead, her body covered with 30 stab wounds and beaten with a blunt instrument. The knife she was killed with was left behind in a wastebasket. More than two years later, a man who lived nearby was arrested and convicted of her murder, but his conviction was vacated in 2001 after DNA analysis of a blood stain at the scene determined it was left by another man. The case sat cold for more than 20 years until advances in genetic genealogy allowed investigators to identify the man they believed killed Brow. The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office announced this week that the killer has been identified as Joseph Leo Boudreau, who was 37 and living in Massachusetts at the time of the murder. Boudreau moved to Ogunquit in 1987, where he lived until his death in 2004 at age 61. "Although the original conviction in this case was vacated, we did not stop there. We do not forget when someone enters Middlesex County and violently takes a person's life. No matter how much time passes, our priority remains the same, to seek answers," District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press briefing on Thursday. "In this case, that meant identifying the person responsible for Mrs. Brow's death, even though they could no longer be held accountable through the criminal system. Today, we are able to name her killer and provide long-overdue clarity to her family," Ayer police Chief Brian Gill said Brow's brutal murder shook the town to its core. When Brow, described by Ryan as a hardworking wife, mother and sister, was found, police said she was killed sometime between 7:10 a.m., when her husband left for work, and 10:45 a.m. Brow's stab wounds included five to her heart. She had been repeatedly struck with a blunt object. There were signs of a struggle in the house and her purse, jewelry and a large amount of cash she kept tucked between sheets in a linen closet were missing. Kenneth Waters, who lived nearby and worked at a diner Brow frequented, was arrested on Oct. 13, 1982, and convicted of Brow's murder the following year. His conviction was vacated on March 15, 2001, after he was cleared because of advances in DNA technology. At the time of the original investigation, the crime laboratory was only able to do blood typing, Ryan said. The stain found at the house was type O blood, a match to Waters. The 2010 movie "Conviction" centered on Waters' wrongful conviction. After Waters' conviction was vacated, the case was assigned and reassigned to different investigators, but new information was never uncovered, Gill said. "The investigative breakthrough came when forensic investigative genetic genealogy DNA testing was applied to evidence recovered at the scene. This ultimately led us to today's announcement," he said, "I am thankful that we may be able to finally bring some closure to the Brow family and a measure of justice for Katharina." In March 2022, the Middlesex district attorney's cold case unit decided to use forensic investigative genetic genealogy, which DNA analysis combined with genealogical research to try to identify the source of the blood found at the murder scene. Ryan said investigators who worked with forensic chemists at Parabon NanoLabs isolated a genetic line that led them to identify a pair of brothers as potential suspects. The brothers are both deceased, Ryan said, but authorities were able to track down two relatives who cooperated with the investigation and provided DNA samples to investigators. Bode Laboratories analyzed the samples and determined "to an overwhelming statistical likelihood" that the blood came from Boudreau, Ryan said. His brother was eliminated as a possible suspect. Investigators have found no connection between Waters and Boudreau, Ryan said. Boudreau was born in Natick, Massachusetts, in 1943 and worked in the Framingham area as an adult. He was convicted of armed robbery in New Hampshire in 1975, according to investigators. Officials did not release any details about what Boudreau's life in Maine, saying only that he was living in Ogunquit when he died in 2004. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Cold case solved: Killer identified in Mass. woman's 'brutal' murder from 45 years ago
After 45 years, investigators have named the person they believe is responsible for stabbing a 48-year-old woman to death in her Ayer home — thanks to genetic genealogy, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday. On May 21, 1980, Katharina Reitz Brow was found dead in her trailer from 30 stab wounds, the district attorney's office said in a press release. Within years of her death, a man was wrongly convicted of her murder, but a new DNA analysis of a bloodstain found at the scene of the crime has identified Joseph Leo Boudreau as Brow's killer. Born in Natick in 1943, Boudreau was a long-time Massachusetts resident who worked in the Framingham area as an adult, the district attorney's office said. He was convicted of armed robbery in New Hampshire in 1975. Boudreau was 27 years old when Brow was killed, the district attorney's office said. He moved to Maine in 1987 and lived there until his death in 2004 at age 61. 'We do not forget when someone enters Middlesex County and violently takes a person's life. No matter how much time passes, our priority remains the same — to seek answers," Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in the release. 'In this case, that meant identifying the person responsible for Mrs. Brow's death, even though they could no longer be held accountable through the criminal system.' On the day of her death, Brow was killed between 7:10 a.m. — when her husband left for work — and 10:45 a.m. when her body was found, Ryan said during a press conference about the case on Thursday. Five of the 30 stab wounds penetrated Brow's heart, and she was also hit repeatedly with some kind of blunt object. Brow was likely conscious for at least half of the attack, Ryan said. She is estimated to have remained alive for 10 to 20 minutes after the assault ended. The inside of Brow's home showed signs of a struggle, but no indications of forced entry, Ryan said. Her purse and a large sum of cash she kept in her linen closet were found to be missing, but investigators recovered one of the murder weapons — a knife — from a wastebasket inside the home. In October 1982, a man named Kenneth Waters was arrested and charged with Brow's murder, Ryan said. He lived near Brow and worked at Park Street Diner in Ayer, at which she was a regular. Waters was convicted of Brow's murder in May 1983 — partially based on analysis of a bloodstain left at the scene of the crime, the district attorney's office said. The blood was found to be type O — Waters' blood type. At the time of the conviction, blood typing was among the few analyses the crime lab responsible for the case was capable of conducting, the district attorney's office said. But Waters' conviction was vacated in March 2001 when DNA analysis of the bloodstain determined that it was left by a man — but not Waters. The 2010 movie 'Conviction,' starring Hilary Swank, tells the story of Waters' conviction and how it was overturned. 'Since the conviction in this case was vacated in 2001, many investigators had been assigned to review the investigation, follow up on leads and apply known investigative techniques. Unfortunately, information to further the investigation never developed,' Ayer Police Chief Brian Gill said in the release. In 2022, the district attorney's office's Cold Case Unit began working with forensic chemists at Virgina-based Parabon NanoLabs to try to identify the man who left the bloodstain using genetic genealogy, the district attorney's office said. Investigators isolated a genetic line that implicated two brothers as potential suspects — but both brothers were now dead. Investigators then tried to find the brothers' living relatives and ultimately convinced them to cooperate with the investigation, the district attorney's office said. Using DNA samples from the relatives, scientists at Virginia-based Bode Laboratories determined with 'an overwhelming statistical likelihood' that one of the brothers — Joseph Boudreau — was the man who'd left the bloodstain. Brow's family has been informed that their loved one's murder has been solved, Ryan said during the press conference. " Today, what's important is that we wanna keep the focus on Katharina Reitz Brow," she said. 'She was a hardworking wife, mother and sister who died violently in her own home.' Ex-detective charged with killing Sandra Birchmore was not her baby's father, report says Woman dragged into bushes by man with knife on road to Nahant 3 Mass. men indicted in connection with Worcester mother, son's shooting deaths Chelsea man charged with murder in fatal stabbing of high schooler in March Three arraigned for trafficking cocaine in Westfield Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Do you recognize this medallion? It could be key solving a Mass. cold case homicide
On May 22, 1975, authorities were notified that the body of an unidentified homicide victim had been discovered buried in a shallow grave in Burlington. Though 50 years have passed since an investigation into the man's death was first opened, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office still hopes the public can help identify the body and close this cold case for good. The victim's body was found in a wooded area near Muller Road in Burlington, the district attorney's office said in a Thursday press release. He had fatal head wounds, and the Chief Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide. Investigators estimated that the man was in his late twenties or early thirties when he died, the district attorney's office said. His height was determined to be between 5-foot-10 inches and six feet. The man is also believed to have had long, dark hair and a beard, the district attorney's office said. He was found wearing a t-shirt, jeans, canvas sneakers, an army fatigue-style jacket and a garrison-type belt with a unique buckle. Investigators recovered a pair of glasses and a glasses case from the grave, and thus believe the victim wore glasses, the district attorney's office said. He was also found wearing a necklace with a distinctive medallion depicting faces. Investigators pursued multiple leads over the course of 45 years, but never managed to solve the case, the district attorney's office said. Then, in 2023, the office's Cold Case Unit obtained a search warrant authorizing the exhumation of the victim's remains, which had been laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Burlington. The exhumation allowed forensic scientists from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory to collect a DNA sample from the victim's bones and teeth, the district attorney's office said. Investigators then asked genealogists from a Texas-based forensic genetic genealogy firm to analyze the DNA. The genealogists determined that the victim was likely of Southern European descent, the district attorney's office said. The analysis of his DNA indicates that the majority of his ancestors likely hailed from modern-day Italy, Spain, Greece or nearby countries. 'I am grateful for the collaborative effort of the agencies involved in their continuing investigation of this case and their ongoing commitment to bringing answers to families,' Burlington Police Chief Thomas Browne said in the release. 'It is my hope that this new information will get people to take another close look at this case and call authorities with any information that might help us to identify this individual.' Burlington police and the district attorney's office are calling on New England families — especially those of Italian, Spanish or Greek heritage — who lost touch with a younger male relative in the early 1970s to call investigators at 781-897-6600 or email them at MiddlesexColdCaseTips@ 'Thousands of families across our country have lost loved ones to murder. The bodies of many of these victims have never been recovered and given a proper burial. Others have been recovered, but never identified and are buried in unmarked graves,' Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said in the release. 'This office is committed to identifying all victims of homicide and giving their grieving families closure.' 'His mercy was never returned': Jordan Cabrera sentenced to 12-15 years for fatally shooting Jahvante Perez Western Mass. man pleads guilty to recording himself raping minors Man faces assault charge in Northbridge fatal shooting Leader of Somerville MS-13 'clique' pleads guilty to 2010 murder Former Boston mafia street boss accused of plotting to kill federal officials Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. man found guilty on manslaughter charge in 2023 fatal shooting
A 23-year-old man has been found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and a gun charge in a 2023 fatal shooting in Waltham, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. A Middlesex Superior Court jury convicted Waltham resident Josh Pierre on the charges in connection with the death of 22-year-old Waltham resident Shelson Jules, the district attorney's office said in a press release. Read more: Officials investigating fatal shooting that occurred in Waltham On May 22, 2023, Waltham police responded to Lyman Street for a report of shots fired around 1:30 p.m., the district attorney's office said. At the scene, they found Jules lying on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds. Jules was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead, the district attorney's office said. His autopsy indicated that he had been shot twice, but eight shell casings were found at the scene. Read more: Officials ID person killed in Waltham fatal shooting The investigation into Jules' death revealed that, in the early morning hours of May 22, 2023, Pierre, Jules and others were in a Snapchat group voice call when the two men began arguing and insulting each other, the district attorney's office said. Jules then shared his location with Pierre with the intent that they would meet and fight in person. Witnesses told investigators that Pierre put his gun in his car before driving with others to meet Jules, the district attorney's office said. The group then met up with Jules at the intersection of Faneuil Road and Lyman Street. Read more: Waltham man wanted in connection with killing of Shelson Jules, police say An argument within the group soon escalated into a physical fight, the district attorney's office said. Pierre then grabbed his gun from his car and shot Jules before fleeing the scene. A months-long investigation into Jules' death ensued, and in July 2023, Pierre was identified as a suspect, the district attorney's office said. Pierre evaded police for a few weeks, but was arrested in Florida in September 2023. Read more: Josh Pierre of Waltham, wanted on murder charge, arrested in Florida, DA says Pierre is set to be sentenced on May 27, the district attorney's office said. Teen charged after head-on car crash with school bus in Lunenburg Arlington man arrested in Cambridge after several hit-and-run crashes Maynard man faces assault charges after domestic incident, break-in Murder suspect Brian Walshe wants Google searches on body disposal suppressed from trial Man pleads guilty to Boston fatal shooting from May 2020 midway through trial Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man shot and killed in Lowell home Saturday morning
A 50-year-old man was shot and killed in his Lowell home Saturday morning, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office. Lowell police found Tige Dyer with a gunshot wound after responding to his home on Cumberland Road around 11:10 a.m., the district attorney's office said in press release. First responders took him to a nearby hospital where he later died. 'The preliminary investigation suggests that this is an isolated incident,' the district attorney's office said. Lowell police and the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office are investigating the shooting. No arrests in connection with the incident have been announced. Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to call Lowell police at (978) 937-3200. Three teens arrested after spray of bullets damages Salem street in targeted attack Man pleads guilty in Mass. State Police commercial driver's license scheme Ex-Keolis engineer who stole over $8.5M for MBTA sentenced to prison Mass. man accused of sharing child sexual abuse videos of children 2 to 8 years old Boston student used Molotov cocktail to set Tesla Cybertrucks on fire, feds say
