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Wanted white supremacist arrested in SD County

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Wanted white supremacist arrested in SD CountyBy Associated Press  |   Thursday, November 18, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  West VISTA, Calif. — A reputed white supremacist gang member wanted for murder in Massachusetts has been arrested in San Diego County. City News Service says 23-year-old Daniel Katusich was arrested Wednesday afternoon by a gang task force outside a Vista apartment. Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Miedecke says another man, 23-year-old Kenneth Ludwig, was arrested on suspicion of harboring a fugitive. The sergeant says two other men, one of them a cousin of Katusich, were later arrested after drugs and a stolen gun were found in the apartment. All four men remained jailed Thursday. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/west/view.bg?articleid=1297320

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Worcester police shoot man They say 20-year-old, sought on warrants, opened fire first

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Worcester police shoot manThey say 20-year-old, sought on warrants, opened fire first A suspect identified by family as Anthony Burns was treated after he was shot by police yesterday in Worcester. Wanted on outstanding warrants, he was in stable condition last night. (Tom Rettig/ Worcester Telegram & Gazette)By Scott J. CroteauWorcester Telegram & Gazette / November 17, 2010 WORCESTER— A Worcester man fleeing law enforcement officials looking to arrest him on warrants allegedly fired several shots at them before they shot him yesterday. The officers returned fire around 12:30 p.m., twice striking the suspect, identified by family members as 20-year-old Anthony Burns, in the hip and chest. “We are very lucky and very blessed that none of our guys got hit,’’ police Sergeant Kerry F. Hazelhurst said at the scene. “This one was close.’’ The suspect allegedly pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and fired at police. Several bullet casings were seen on the ground, and a window of a police cruiser appeared to have been hit. The Warrant Apprehension Team — made up of city and State Police and US marshals — were looking for the man at an apartment on Branch Street. When the man spotted team members, he took off from the apartment, running toward Interstate 290, police said. Officers began to close in on the suspect in the area of 181 Grafton St. “At this time, the suspect stopped running, pulled out a gun, and began shooting at the officers,’’ police said. “Several other police vehicles arrived at the scene, and the suspect began to fire multiple rounds at the responding officers.’’ The officers fired back, striking the suspect. He fell and dropped the gun. Police then rushed to the suspect and handcuffed him. A metal fragment was found in the right shoulder of an officer, according to police Chief Gary J. Gemme. He was in his cruiser when the suspect allegedly fired a shot that smashed the passenger-side window. The officer will see a specialist for further evaluation. The two other officers were not hit, and all three were evaluated at St. Vincent Hospital. The suspect was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center, University Campus for treatment. He was listed in stable condition last night. Police vehicles flooded Grafton Street, snarling traffic, as onlookers gathered. It appeared the suspect immediately opened fire at police and had intended to fire at the officers, Chief Gemme said, citing preliminary reports. It appeared three officers fired at the suspect, but their names were not released. The officers will be placed on administrative duty while the investigation continues, the chief said. Burns’s sister, Jamey Burns, said last night that her brother was aware of at least one of the warrants and had planned to turn himself in. She said he decided not to because he started to fear for his safety after police repeatedly called his cellphone. She said the charges related to one of the warrants arose after someone stole his car and committed a crime with it.Worcester police shoot manThey say 20-year-old, sought on warrants, opened fire first  A suspect identified by family as Anthony Burns was treated after he was shot by police yesterday in Worcester. Wanted on outstanding warrants, he was in stable condition last night. (Tom Rettig/ Worcester Telegram & Gazette)By Scott J. CroteauWorcester Telegram & Gazette / November 17, 2010E-mail|Print|Reprints| Text size – +WORCESTER— A Worcester man fleeing law enforcement officials looking to arrest him on warrants allegedly fired several shots at them before they shot him yesterday. The officers returned fire around 12:30 p.m., twice striking the suspect, identified by family members as 20-year-old Anthony Burns, in the hip and chest. “We are very lucky and very blessed that none of our guys got hit,’’ police Sergeant Kerry F. Hazelhurst said at the scene. “This one was close.’’ The suspect allegedly pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and fired at police. Several bullet casings were seen on the ground, and a window of a police cruiser appeared to have been hit. The Warrant Apprehension Team — made up of city and State Police and US marshals — were looking for the man at an apartment on Branch Street. When the man spotted team members, he took off from the apartment, running toward Interstate 290, police said. Officers began to close in on the suspect in the area of 181 Grafton St. “At this time, the suspect stopped running, pulled out a gun, and began shooting at the officers,’’ police said. “Several other police vehicles arrived at the scene, and the suspect began to fire multiple rounds at the responding officers.’’ The officers fired back, striking the suspect. He fell and dropped the gun. Police then rushed to the suspect and handcuffed him. A metal fragment was found in the right shoulder of an officer, according to police Chief Gary J. Gemme. He was in his cruiser when the suspect allegedly fired a shot that smashed the passenger-side window. The officer will see a specialist for further evaluation. The two other officers were not hit, and all three were evaluated at St. Vincent Hospital. The suspect was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center, University Campus for treatment. He was listed in stable condition last night. Police vehicles flooded Grafton Street, snarling traffic, as onlookers gathered. It appeared the suspect immediately opened fire at police and had intended to fire at the officers, Chief Gemme said, citing preliminary reports. It appeared three officers fired at the suspect, but their names were not released. The officers will be placed on administrative duty while the investigation continues, the chief said. Burns’s sister, Jamey Burns, said last night that her brother was aware of at least one of the warrants and had planned to turn himself in. She said he decided not to because he started to fear for his safety after police repeatedly called his cellphone. She said the charges related to one of the warrants arose after someone stole his car and committed a crime with

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Church arsonist pleads guilty in Springfield case

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Church arsonist pleads guilty in Springfield case By Associated Press  |   Wednesday, November 17, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage SPRINGFIELD – A Springfield man serving a federal prison sentence for burning down a mostly-black church to protest the election of President Barack Obama has been sentenced to six years in a case brought by state prosecutors. The sentence is concurrent with the nine-year federal term Benjamin Haskell received for arson in the fire that destroyed the Macedonia Church of God in Christ hours after Obama’s 2008 election. That means the 25-year-old Haskell won’t have to serve additional time. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a 10-count state indictment that included drug distribution charges and a charge that he set fire to a vacant house back in 2003. Superior Court Judge Cornelius Moriarty nearly rejected the plea bargain with prosecutors as too leniant, calling Haskell a “one-man crime wave.” Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297018

News, Youth

Cops struggle to ID beating victim

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Cops struggle to ID beating victimBy Marie Szaniszlo  |   Wednesday, November 17, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage ‘NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE’: Milton police officers scour the ground around Brierbrook Street yesterday after a mutilated body was discovered there Monday.Photo by Matt Stone Milton police yesterday made a public plea for help in identifying a young man whose badly battered and mauled, half-naked corpse was found on a leafy, affluent street. The victim, a black male in his mid-teens to his early 20s, was wearing only jeans when his body was found about 9:30 p.m. Monday by a passer-by on Brierbrook Street at Parkwood Drive, said Chief Richard G. Wells Jr. The young man was about 5-feet, 4-inches to 5-feet, 5-inches tall and weighed no more than 120 pounds, with an athletic build and close-cropped hair, Wells said. He had no wallet or tattoos, the chief said. “Right now, we need the public’s help,” he said. “Whoever this young man is, yesterday he got up. But at 9:30 last night, his body was found in a very gruesome condition.” The victim’s entire body was mutilated, Wells said. Police returned to the scene yesterday after more of the young man’s remains were found scattered on the sidewalk. It was unclear, however, whether the young man had been dragged or dropped in the street. Police had hoped to identify the victim through fingerprints, but he had no criminal record, Wells said. Some of his teeth were also missing. Police have since received some calls about missing people, Wells said, but the man’s identity and cause of death so far are unknown. “There’s a multitude of possibilities,” he said. “I really don’t want to speculate.” The grisly discovery stunned residents in the secluded, suburban neighborhood, not far from Route 28 and the Blue Hills Reservation. In the 15 years Laurie Macintosh has lived on Parkwood Drive, the only crime she can remember being reported was the theft of some cash from a car several years ago. “Nothing ever happens here,” said Macintosh, 55. “We’re all mostly small-business owners. . . . I just think of the poor family somewhere that lost their son. It’s creepy that (whoever did this) chose this neighborhood.’’ Chris Tosi, another longtime resident, said he suspects the young man’s body was dumped there by someone looking for a quiet, secluded street. “I just feel so bad for the boy,” he said. “The quality of life people enjoy here is truly magnificent,” Wells said. “But . . . crime is mobile. We’re not immune to that.” Police are urging anyone with information to call them at (617) 698-3800 or, anonymously, at (617) 698-COPS. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296945

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Mutilated body found in Milton

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Mutilated body found in MiltonBy Joe Dwinell and Laura Crimaldi | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage Photo by Fox25 The state medical examiner is now trying to determine the identity of a young man found hacked up and dumped on a sleepy Milton street last night near the Blue Hills reservation. “The identity of the young man, who was the victim of obvious trauma, has not been established,” said David Traub, spokesman for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. Traub reports Milton cops and state police spent the night on Brierbrook Street hunting for clues in the hacking homicide. Traub said the man’s remains were scheduled to be transported to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston at 4:30 a.m. for an autopsy. Police report a passerby stumbled upon the horrific scene last night around 9:30. The neighborhood is close to the Blue Hills State Park south of Boston off Route 28. Milton Police Chief Richard Wells told the Associated Press officers arriving at the scene “encountered a very gruesome situation.” Investigators do not believe the victim lived in the upscale neighborhood and Wells says the killing does not appear to be connected to any criminal activity in the area. According to published reports, police are looking for two cars seen in the vicinity of the murder scene. Other reports state the victim was found wearing only pants and is a light-skinned young man. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296722

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Scooter rider killed in Roxbury hit-run

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Scooter rider killed in Roxbury hit-run By Associated Press | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local CoverageROXBURY — Boston police are searching for the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a person riding a Vespa scooter. The victim died following the crash late Sunday night on Tremont Street in the Roxbury neighborhood. Police did not release the victim’s name. Police believe the vehicle was a dark SUV that is likely missing at least one headlight and has extensive front end damage. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296453

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New pot law blamed as violence escalates

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New pot law blamed as violence escalatesBy Laurel J. Sweet and O’Ryan Johnson | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics BIG TIME: Nantucket police recovered 107 marijuana plants in two separate areas over the summer.Photo by Nantucket PD Since recreational marijuana use was decriminalized in Massachusetts last year, pot-related trafficking and violence have escalated across the state, frustrated law enforcement officials tell the Herald. Smoking weed is not a victimless crime, they say. “We knew it was going to be a nightmare for public safety and law enforcement. An ounce of marijuana can make a thousand joints,” Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said. “Question 2 perpetuated a feeling that marijuana is somehow safer than other drugs. It’s another mind-altering substance. What are we doing in this country? Can’t anyone get through the day without a drink or a drug?” In November 2008, by nearly 2 to 1, Bay Staters voted to snuff out the threat of jail time for possession of an ounce or less of cannabis in favor of a $100 civil fine, proceeds from which are intended to puff up city and town coffers. The law, however, provides no enforcement mechanism for police to collect the money. Stiffer penalties for buying or selling the drug, or possessing more than an ounce, remain in place. “Marijuana trafficking is no different from the wholesale distribution of any illicit substance. It’s accompanied by guns and violence in the short term and it floods communities with illegal drugs in the long term. It threatens public safety and public health,” said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley. He said his open trafficking cases — dealing in 50 pounds of pot or more — have hit a historic high since the passage of Question 2 by doubling from roughly two prosecutions at any one time to four. Several recent high-profile killings have been linked by law enforcement to pot, including: The Sept. 30 fatal shooting of Adam Coveney, 29, of Waltham. Four men, including a Newton North High School senior, have been charged in connection with the alleged dealer robbery and murder. The Sept. 28 massacre of four people in Mattapan — among them, a 21-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son — allegedly in a pot-dealing turf dispute. The May 2009 fatal shooting of Justin Cosby, 21, inside a Harvard University dorm, allegedly in a bid to rob him of pot and cash. The June 2009 murder of Tyriffe Lewis, 17, in Callahan State Park in Framingham, where prosecutors say he was lured by two men seeking revenge in a fight over marijuana. In Boston, where one of the most shocking mass killings in recent city history was pot-related, police Commissioner Edward Davis blames drugs in general for surging violence — 65 murders compared to 44 last year at this time. Of Question 2, he said, “I can tell you I’m concerned. I wish we had gone another way in Massachusetts.” But Mike Meno of the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, which helped push Question 2, faults partial decriminalization for the violence: “If they’re worried about the criminal element, the answer is to end the criminalization of marijuana and regulate it like alcohol. Marijuana is not going away. Anyone who believes that is naive. It’s used by millions of Americans.” Leone said he fears decriminalization has created a booming “cottage industry” for dope dealers to target youths no longer fearing the stigma of arrest or how getting high could affect their already dicey driving. Leone’s combined distribution and trafficking caseload rose from 445 in 2008 to 464 in 2009. This year’s caseload stood at 422 as of last week, on track to match or exceed last year. Leone, who is handling the Framingham, Waltham and Cambridge murder cases, said, “What we’re seeing now is an unfortunate and totally predictable outcome. It’s a cash-and-carry business.” With more small-time dealers operating, he said, turf encroachment is inevitable. “That tends to make drug dealers angry.” In Essex County, District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said his marijuana trafficking case load jumped from three in 2007 and one in 2008 to eight in 2009. “It’s a dangerous business,” Blodgett said. “We’ve had arrests of people who’ve never been involved in trafficking before but got involved in the game. And whenever that happens, there’s going to be violence.” Wellesley Deputy Police Chief William Brooks III, speaking on behalf of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said, “The whole thing is a mess. The perception out there among a lot of people is it’s OK to do it now, so there’s an uptick in the number of people wanting to do it. . . . Most of the drug-related violence you see now — the shootings, the murders — is about weed.” Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1296392

News, Youth

Cops overlooked second dead man Body discovered 2 1⁄2 days after other victim

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Cops overlooked second dead manBody discovered 2 1⁄2 days after other victimBy Marie Szaniszlo  |   Sunday, November 14, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage Boston police detectives are seen Tuesday on Mascot Street in Dorchester after a body was found near a garage.Photo by Mark Garfinkel Boston police are investigating why the body of a teenager lay undiscovered for 2 1⁄2 days after another was found across the street. The body of 19-year-old Nervin Charlot of Boston was found at 11 a.m. Tuesday behind an abandoned house at 63 Mascot St. in Mattapan by a workman painting an adjacent building, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said. Almost 60 hours earlier, police had responded to a report of shots fired in the area of 64 Mascot St. and found 17-year-old Emmanuel Loissaint, also of Boston, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. “We’re certainly troubled by that,” Davis said of the lapse in time. “We believe finding that body is something we should have done.” When officers discovered Loissaint at about 1 a.m. Sunday, their investigation focused on 64 Mascot St. and the direction in which witnesses told them the assailants had fled, the commissioner said. Police also were working in a “difficult environment.” “It was not easy to see,” Davis said. In addition to the darkness, investigators had to contend with rain and wind-blown leaves, he said, although Charlot’s body was not covered in leaves when it was eventually found. Police believe the two shootings are linked for several reasons, including their proximity. “They did know each other and were affiliated with the same gang,” Davis said. “And it was a similar caliber gun.” Loissaint died Sunday of a single gunshot wound to the chest at Boston Medical Center, police said. Charlot’s body was found in the yard of the house across the street and was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary autopsy results indicate that he had been shot in the chest, police said. Davis urged anyone with information about the shootings to contact the homicide unit at 617-343-4470. “We believe there are individuals with information about these shootings,” he said. People who wish to remain anonymous can call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS, or text the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1296164

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Victim’s kin denied access to 911 tapes Man shot dead by New York police

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Victim’s kin denied access to 911 tapesMan shot dead by New York policeBy Richard Weir  |   Saturday, November 13, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage EMOTIONAL: Thulani DeMarsay, aunt of Danroy Henry Jr., wells up with tears while speaking yesterday about her nephew, who was fatally shot by New York police officers Oct. 17.Photo by Mark Garfinkel The father of a college football player fatally shot by police in suburban New York last month said yesterday he was disappointed by a judge’s ruling denying him and his wife access to 911 calls. Danroy and Angella Henry of Easton had petitioned to get copies of any audio and video recordings from the Oct. 17 night that their 20-year-old son, Danroy Henry Jr., a Pace University football player, was shot and killed in his car after a disturbance outside a Thornwood, N.Y., bar near his campus. Westchester County Judge Orazio Bellantoni barred them from accessing any 911 tapes and surveillance footage because they failed to include in their legal bid an affidavit from “someone with firsthand knowledge of the facts.” “Unfortunately for us, the law isn’t a grieving parent, we are,” Henry said. “It doesn’t think like a grieving parent. It is what it is.” However, Henry said, he does not view the decision as a “setback,” saying the evidence will be “known in due time.” “Unlike evidence that is missing,” the grieving father said during a conference call held by his lawyer Michael Sussman, “evidence that could have been incredibly helpful, specifically the dash cams in the Pleasantville police cars, this evidence does exist.” Sussman said he has obtained firsthand accounts from several witnesses to the shooting but opted not to provide them to the court, and thus make them public, because he did not want to hamper a future grand jury investigation. “At the end of the day, it is possible that the district attorney of Westchester County will get an indictment here, and the last thing we want to do is in any way jeopardize that indictment, should it happen, and the prosecution, were it to happen,” he said. The Westchester DA’s office opposed the Henrys’ motion, contending that the evidence must be impounded until after a grand jury wraps up its probe. Police have defended the shooting, saying Danroy Henry Jr. sped away and struck two officers after a third cop knocked on his car window, an account disputed by some witnesses. At a separate press conference yesterday in Dorchester, Henry’s grandfather, Wayne Dozier, and aunt, Thulani DeMarsay, along with other relatives called on the U.S. Attorney’s office to take over the investigation. The U.S. attorney for New York’s Southern District said the office is “monitoring” the case and will launch an independent review “if appropriate.” Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the Westchester District Attorney, said of the Henry family’s demands for a federal probe: “We are in the midst of a wide ranging, detailed, thorough and comprehensive investigation. At its conclusion it will be presented to a grand jury and we are confident it will be a just and fair outcome.” Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1295966

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UPDATE: Murders on Mascot Street linked, according to one victim's mom

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UPDATE: Murders on Mascot Street linked, according to one victim’s mom By Bill Forry http://www.dotnews.com/Nov. 10, 2010 Mascot Street death investigation Sunday: One shooting, one dead; Tuesday: 2d body across the streetBoston Police are investigating whether the body of a 19 year-old man found dead in the driveway of a Mascot Street property on Tuesday morning was a second victim of a shooting incident early on Sunday morning that left a teenager dead. Today, the mother of the man found dead on Tuesday said that in fact her son was also shot — and had been missing since Saturday night. Boston Police were called to the area of 64 Mascot Street about one o’clock Sunday morning for a report of shots fired. At the scene, Area B-3 officers found a male victim suffering from “what appeared to be a gunshot wound.” The victim — a 17 year old from Brockton who has not yet been identified — was taken to Boston Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Two days later, on Tuesday morning, Boston Police were called to 63 Mascot Street – which sits directly across the street from No. 64 – where the body of a 19-year-old man was found in the driveway next to a two-family house. The Reporter has learned that man found dead on Tuesday is 19 year-old Nervin Charlot, who lives at a residence on Chipman Street, about seven blocks away from the murder scene. The homicide unit was called to the scene Tuesday, but the man’s death has not yet been ruled a homicide, according to BPD spokesperson Elaine Driscoll, nor had any determination been made as to how long the body had been there. The man’s remains were being examined today by the state medical examiner’s office, said Driscoll, in an effort to ascertain cause of death and identification. Sources familiar with the case told the Reporter that BPD investigators believe that the body found on Tuesday morning may well be connected to the shooting there on Sunday. “They missed it,” said one source. Charlot’s mother tells the Reporter that her son had been missing since Saturday night. The family went to BPD headquarters on Monday morning to report him missing and were told to check for him at Boston Medical Center. On Tuesday, the family spoke to police and were told that he was — in fact— the man found dead in the Mascot Street driveway that morning. Marie Charlot, the victim’s mother, told the Reporter that police told her that her son was shot and that the murder is connected to the shooting on Sunday. The possible connection is all the more mysterious because of the passage of two full days between the Sunday shooting and the discovery of the second body. The spot where neighbors saw the body, which was found lying face-down in the dirt driveway of 63 Mascot, was clearly visible from the front sidewalk. Jimmy Adams, 70, lives several doors away on Mascot Street and was home when Sunday’s shooting took place. Adams said he saw police officers looking into yards and searching the street for evidence. He said he can’t understand how anyone would have missed seeing a second body that night or in the intervening two days. Adams was one of several neighbors who inspected the second man’s body on Tuesday around 9 a.m. He says that police were called to the scene by another neighbor who spotted the corpse, which was clad in a red cap, grey jacket and jeans, lying face down near the end of the driveway at 63 Mascot. To make things curiouser, Adams said that there was no blood evident on or around the body. The unoccupied two-family house at that address has become a problem in recent years. It was foreclosed on in 2007 and has been without tenants since then, according to neighbors. Adams says the home has been empty since its owner died in a car accident and that it has recently become a magnet for teens to hang out and drink in the yard. If Charlot’s death is in fact ruled a homicide and linked to Sunday’s shooting, it would mark the second time in two years in Area B-3 that a murder victim went undiscovered after police were called to an outdoor shooting scene. On the night of May 13, 2009, police units responded to Wilcock Street for reports of shots fired. A search that night did not locate any victims, although police did stop a car filled with men suspected of firing the shots. Hours later, after sunrise, police were called back to the scene and discovered the body of 49-year-old Freddie Bing, who was shot multiple times and found slumped between two cars on the street. A 17-year-old from Dorchester, Damante Burrell, has been indicted for first-degree murder in that case. Adams said that Mascot Street has been a relatively peaceful street for most of the 16 years he has lived there. In 2006, a teenager was shot to death on adjacent Ballou Street, but Adams says that — by and large— Mascot Street has not been known as a hot spot for violence. But the events of recent days have given him pause. “This used to be a really nice street,” said Adams. “I don’t feel safe here anymore.” The 17-year-old murdered on Mascot Street on Sunday is the 18th homicide victim of the year in Area B-3, the police district that covers this part of Dorchester along with Mattapan. Last year, during the same period, 7 people were killed in B-3. The man found dead on Tuesday— if ruled a homicide victim— would be the city of Boston’s 66th victim of 2010. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. Pat Tarantino contributed to this article.

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