Latest news with #MiddlesexCountyDistrictAttorney'sOffice
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
NBC News
16-04-2025
- NBC News
Video shows man in gas mask and tactical gear pepper-spray officers at Boston area courthouse
A man wearing a gas mask and tactical gear forced his way into a Boston-area courthouse on Monday and allegedly pepper-sprayed and physically assaulted several people before he was arrested. Security video shows a female court officer trying to stop the man from entering the Woburn District Court. The man, identified by the district attorney's office as Nicholas Akerberg, is seen storming inside and appearing to pepper-spray the officer. He then runs into the lobby where several officers subdue him, the video shows. Bystanders are seen in the video moving out of the way as the officers struggle to restrain Akerberg. The officers had to deploy a Taser before he was arrested, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office said in a news release. Akerberg, 28, of Yarmouth Port, was dressed in a helmet, gas mask, tactical boots and sunglasses, the district attorney's office said. He had eight canisters of pepper spray and two smoke canisters in his possession, the release states. Akerberg allegedly "deployed pepper spray directed at multiple court officers, a Stoneham police officer and an assistant district attorney," according to the release. He is also accused of punching and shoving multiple people. "I want to condemn today's attack on the Court, the Court staff and the Justice system in the strongest possible terms. Courts are sacred, hallowed places," District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement. Akerberg was charged with six counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as well as charges of assault and battery on a public employee, assault and battery on a police officer, disrupting a court proceeding, disorderly conduct, bomb threat, and intimidation. Akerberg, a police officer and two court officers were taken to the hospital but were all released, the district attorney's office said. Akerberg was arraigned on Monday and was ordered held pending a dangerousness hearing. The judge also revoked his bail and ordered him to undergo a competency evaluation. It's not clear if he has obtained an attorney. The district attorney said Monday's assault is the third serious incident at a courthouse since March 10.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Authorities ID man arrested after pepper spray incident shut down Woburn court
Authorities identified the suspect involved in a pepper spray incident in the lobby of the Woburn courthouse on Monday morning. Nicholas Akerberg was identified by the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office as the person arrested after the incident. He is expected to be arraigned virtually on Tuesday at 2 p.m., a spokesperson said. Woburn Police Chief Robert Rufo Jr. described him as a 28-year-old from Yarmouth Port, according to WCVB. He wore a gas mask and used pepper spray in the courthouse, according to Rufo. 'He began spraying indoors of the courthouse. He was subsequently subdued, arrested and transported to the hospital. Charges are being determined currently,' Rufo told the TV station. The incident closed the courthouse shortly before noon, but it is scheduled to reopen at 2 p.m., according to the court's website. The Woburn District Court's website lists several probable disposition hearings scheduled for Monday morning for Akerberg related to various cases. Rufo told WCVB Akerberg was due in court due to a case that originated in Stoneham over a year ago. It's not immediately clear if there were any injuries reported due to the incident. A witness said that a court officer told people to evacuate the court and that 'It was very scary,' according to WCVB. A second witness told the TV station that 'it was like a stampede of people running out the back door' and that someone was pepper-sprayed in the lobby. Weston High School mourns siblings killed with family in NY plane crash Charges dismissed due to ex-New Bedford detective's relationship with informant Recall warning: Don't feed this popular mix to your pets due to salmonella, listeria fears Westfield Fire Department trains at old rectory Man arrested in Georgia brought back to Mass. to face domestic violence charges
