A 34-year-old Newton man who was arraigned yesterday in Roxbury District Court and charged with drug trafficking and other offenses was ordered held on $300,000 cash bail, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

AMANDO AVILA (D.O.B. 7/16/74) was charged with trafficking over 200 grams of a Class A substance, drug trafficking within 1000 feet of a school or park, and operating a motor vehicle without a license. Citing the facts and circumstances of the case, Assistant District Attorney Migdalia Nalls recommended that Avila be held on $750,000 cash bail; Roxbury Court Judge Edward Redd set bail at $300,000, and ordered Avila to return to court on July 28 for a probable cause hearing. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley and Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis today announced that charges have issued for a 50-year-old male in connection with the rape and murder of a 48-year-old woman, whose body was discovered in the rear of a truck in a Dorchester parking lot earlier this year.

Authorities today issued a warrant for the arrest of FITZHUGH NEWTON (D.O.B. 3/26/59), who is currently incarcerated in the South Bay House of Corrections on unrelated charges, for the victim’s February 26 rape and homicide following an extensive investigation conducted by Boston Police homicide detectives, Suffolk prosecutors, forensic analysis conducted by the Boston Police Department Crime Lab, and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). more »

A 47-year-old man who was convicted of the 1979 murder of a Jamaica Plain man as he sat in his vehicle, will be remitted to federal authorities to face deportation proceedings, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

After three days of testimony and approximately three hours of deliberations, a Superior Court jury on Tuesday found RICHARD FRANKLIN (D.O.B. 11/20/61) guilty of manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm for the May 13, 1979, murder of 30-year-old Gregory McDavid. more »

The chief of Suffolk County homicide prosecutions yesterday told a Superior Court judge that the grand jury investigating the murder of Julissa Brisman and the armed robbery of another woman at downtown Boston hotels was not tainted by news articles the case and that its findings were not leaked to the media.

At a hearing called by attorneys for PHILIP MARKOFF (D.O.B. 2/12/86) of Quincy, Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin told Judge Frank Gaziano that “the grand jury heard about forensic links to the defendant, fingerprints, [and] information gleaned from internet service providers” and that, in light of the evidence grand jurors heard, “it is quite a stretch to say that the grand jury’s determination of probable cause [to indict Markoff] was tainted by media coverage of the case.” more »

“You now know beyond a reasonable doubt, not from what I say or from what anyone else says but from RICHARD FRANKLIN’s own words, that 30 years ago he went to rob Gregory McDavid and shot him instead,” a Suffolk County prosecutor told a Superior Court jury during closing arguments in Franklin’s homicide trial.

Franklin (D.O.B. 11/20/61) is charged with manslaughter for allegedly shooting the 30-year-old McDavid to death on May 13, 1979. The case went unsolved for more than a decade until Franklin walked unbidden into the office of a community service officer at his Brockton housing development in 1995 and took responsibility for it. more »

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted a 47-year-old Brockton man for the fatal shooting of a Jamaica Plain father three decades ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

After deliberating for approximately three hours, jurors convicted RICHARD FRANKLIN (D.O.B. 11/20/61) of manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm for the May 13, 1979, murder of 30-year-old Gregory McDavid. Superior Court Judge Judith Fabricant revoked Franklin’s bail until he is sentenced on June 25. more »

The Suffolk County Grand Jury late last week returned a seven-count indictment charging a Quincy man with first-degree murder and other offenses stemming from the fatal shooting of one woman and the gunpoint robbery of another in downtown Boston hotels this spring, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

The indictments, returned late Thursday, charge PHILIP MARKOFF (D.O.B. 2/12/86) with the April 14 fatal shooting and attempted robbery of 25-year-old Julissa Brisman in the Marriott Copley Place hotel, the April 10 armed robbery of a 29-year-old Las Vegas woman at the Westin Copley Place hotel, the armed and forcible confinement of both women, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today lauded a Suffolk Superior Court judge who handed down harsh consecutive sentences for two men convicted of killing 49-year-old Betsy Tripp in her Dorchester home five years ago.

“It’s no exaggeration to call either of them a menace to society,” Conley said of QUINCY BUTLER (D.O.B. 3/14/74) of Dorchester and WILLIAM WOOD (D.O.B. 4/17/74) of Roxbury, convicted last week of second- and first-degree murder respectively. “The world is a safer place with both of them behind bars forever.” more »

A homeless man known as “the Stomper” is back behind bars after allegedly beating another man with no fixed address in May and being captured by Boston Police, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

DENNIS CONNOLLY (D.O.B. 7/31/54) was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail at his arraignment in Boston Municipal Court on Monday. Connolly allegedly beat a 43-year-old homeless man on May 18 but vanished before Boston Police arrived at the scene. more »

A Suffolk Superior Court judge today sentenced an abusive husband to life in prison without the possibility of parole following his second conviction for murdering his estranged wife in her bed nine years ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

On Tuesday, a Superior Court jury convicted AGAPITO LAO (D.O.B. 7/10/58) of first-degree murder for strangling 40-year-old Alicia Lao to death in her Chelsea apartment on the morning of May 2, 2000. That conviction follows his 2002 conviction on the same charge, which was overturned by the Supreme Judicial Court because of a flawed appeal. more »

“Gregory McDavid has been dead as long as he was alive,” Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum said today during opening statements in the trial of RICHARD FRANKLIN (D.O.B. 11/20/61) for McDavid’s 1979 shooting death.

“You will learn that Mr. Franklin got away with the killing that day, that month, that year, and for 16½ years,” Polumbaum continued, “until 1995 when by his own admission his conscience got the better of him.” more »

The man whose body was recovered from the Mystic River last week has been identified thanks to media coverage of his distinctive tattoo, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

The remains were those of a 21-year-old Chelsea man. Authorities are not releasing his identity. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley named Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino an honorary Suffolk prosecutor last week during an annual awards ceremony that recognizes outstanding employees of the Suffolk DA’s office.

“As prosecutors, we rely on our partners throughout government to help us do our jobs. This new award is bestowed on a non-prosecutor who has proven to be an invaluable part of our mission, and there’s no better inauguration for it than to recognize someone who, like us, is constantly forced to do more with less to serve and safeguard his community,” Conley said before presenting Mayor Menino with an etched glass award. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley named Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino an honorary Suffolk prosecutor last week during an annual awards ceremony that recognizes outstanding employees of the Suffolk DA’s office.

“As prosecutors, we rely on our partners throughout government to help us do our jobs. This new award is bestowed on a non-prosecutor who has proven to be an invaluable part of our mission, and there’s no better inauguration for it than to recognize someone who, like us, is constantly forced to do more with less to serve and safeguard his community,” Conley said before presenting Mayor Menino with an etched glass award. more »

Opening statements are expected tomorrow in the trial of a defendant who allegedly shot a man to death in 1979, admitted to it in 1995, and spent much of the time since then committed to a psychiatric facility.

RICHARD FRANKLIN (D.O.B. 11/20/61), formerly of Brockton, is charged with manslaughter for the May 13, 1979, shooting death of 30-year-old Gregory McDavid on Greenbrier Street in Dorchester. The homicide remained unsolved until Dec. 30, 1995, when Franklin approached a community service officer at his Brockton housing development and said he wanted to get something off of his chest. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office is reaching out to Boston-area tattoo artists in an effort to identify a man whose body was recovered from the Mystic River on Thursday morning.

Four days after the discovery, State Police detectives assigned to Conley’s office have yet to identify the African-American male, who was believed to be 20 to 35 years old when he died. Initial checks of missing persons reports did not provide any leads, and investigators are disseminating a photograph of a tattoo he had on his right shoulder. The tattoo depicts a basketball surrounded by flames. more »

A Chelsea man was sentenced to life in prison today following his conviction for the second-degree murder of retired Cambridge Police Officer Myles “Tony” Lawton and the attempted murder of a second man who survived a drug deal gone bad in Lawton’s Florida Street home, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

Assistant District Attorney David Fredette recommended that MICHAEL “GOODY” COLLINS (D.O.B. 11/5/79) begin serving his mandatory life term for Lawton’s murder only after he completed a 15- to 20-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of the surviving victim. more »

An abusive husband whose prior conviction for murdering his estranged wife was overturned by the Supreme Judicial Court was convicted of the same crime today and once again faces a life term without the possibility of parole, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

AGAPITO LAO (D.O.B. 7/10/58) was convicted of first-degree murder today for strangling 40-year-old Alicia Lao to death in her Chelsea apartment on the morning of May 2, 2000. That conviction follows his 2002 conviction on the same charge, which was overturned on appeal after a U.S. Supreme Court case set precedent that would have kept certain witness testimony from the jury at that trial. more »

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted the man once known as Clark Rockefeller of custodial kidnapping for absconding to Baltimore with his 7-year-old daughter during a post-divorce visitation last summer, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

Jurors also found CHRISTIAN KARL GERHARTSREITER (D.O.B. 2/21/61) guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for directing an unwitting confederate to drive away from the scene while a social worker hired to monitor the July 27, 2008, visit clung to the vehicle’s door, causing the man to fall to the ground. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley will recognize Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino with an unprecedented award this evening at an annual ceremony recognizing exceptional work by members of the Suffolk DA’s office.

The award will be one of a dozen handed out this evening to Suffolk County prosecutors, victim advocates, civilian investigators, and support staff. The Suffolk Awards, now in their fifth year, recognize outstanding achievements by members of an office that is chronically underfunded and understaffed but responsible for more than 40,000 criminal cases each year. more »

After three mistrials, a Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted two men of fatally slashing a Dorchester woman’s throat during a horrific home invasion and robbery attempt that left a surviving victim with a bullet in his skull, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

Jurors found WILLIAM WOOD (D.O.B. 4/17/74) of Roxbury guilty of first-degree murder and QUINCY BUTLER (D.O.B. 3/14/74) of Dorchester guilty of second-degree murder for the homicide of 49-year-old Betsy Tripp in her Monsignor Lydon Way home during the early morning hours of Feb. 13, 2004. Both face a mandatory life term; Wood will never leave prison, while Butler will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years of his sentence. more »

Five years to the day after 14-year-old Da-Keem Galloway was murdered in Roxbury, a witness who lied at the killer’s trial was sentenced to as many as eight years in prison for his perjured testimony, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

KYRICE GRADY (D.O.B. 9/26/85) of Dorchester pleaded guilty before Suffolk Superior Court Judge Judith Fabricant for lying under oath at the 2007 trial of CHARON RAY (D.O.B. 7/16/87). She sentenced him to a term of six to eight years in state prison to be followed by three years of probation. more »

The Suffolk County Grand Jury today returned a nine-count indictment charging a Hyde Park man with the attempted murder of three Boston Police officers during a drug arrest this spring, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

The indictments charge JOHN MENTOR (D.O.B. 4/13/86) with three counts each of armed assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, as well as single counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, all stemming out of an April 13 incident near the intersection of River Street and Gordon Avenue. more »

The man who fatally shot retired Cambridge Police Officer Myles “Tony” Lawton and nearly killed Lawton’s friend two and a half years ago was motivated by greed, a Suffolk County prosecutor told a Superior Court jury this afternoon.

“What cost Myles Lawton his life … was greed,” Assistant District Attorney David Fredette said, telling jurors that Lawton would be alive today but for MICHAEL COLLINS’ “greed and willingness to pull the trigger and kill somebody over $40,000.” more »

A Suffolk Superior Court jury is weighing the fate of CHRISTIAN KARL GERHARTSREITER (D.O.B. 2/21/61), who allegedly kidnapped his daughter during a post-divorce visitation last summer, assaulted a social worker monitoring that visit, and gave the assumed name of Clark Rockefeller upon his arrest by Boston Police and FBI agents last summer.

“This is not a case about sanity,” Assistant District Attorney David Deakin said during closing arguments this morning. “This is a case about control.” more »

An abusive husband strangled his estranged wife to death in her Chelsea home just two days after she told him that she was filing divorce papers to officially end their relationship, a Suffolk County prosecutor told a Superior Court jury today in the defendant’s second trial for Alicia Lao’s murder.

“The person who strangled her and left her to die was the ex-husband she tried to get away from … the defendant, AGAPITO LAO,” said Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee, deputy chief of the district attorney’s Homicide Unit. more »

A Boston man whose first-degree murder conviction was overturned on appeal faces a second trial today for allegedly strangling his estranged wife to death in her Chelsea apartment nine years ago.

AGAPITO LAO (D.O.B. 7/10/58) is again charged with first-degree murder for allegedly strangling 40-year-old Alicia Lao, who was found unconscious in her Bellingham Street apartment on the morning of May 2, 2000. Her boyfriend, who found her, immediately called Chelsea Police, who arrived minutes later along with emergency medical technicians. Lao was brought to Whidden Memorial Hospital in Everett, but never regained consciousness and died on May 17, 2000. more »

Suffolk County prosecutors affirmatively terminated 14 vandalism charges against a Los Angeles man today but left open the door for continued prosecution of an additional 13 similar offenses.

Prosecutors today filed a nolle prosequi formally ending the prosecution of FRANK SHEPARD FAIREY, 39, for a series of stickers placed on signposts and other public property within the jurisdiction of the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court Department. more »

In arguments ending two men’s fourth trial for allegedly murdering a woman and shooting her friend in the face, a Suffolk County prosecutor described the horrific scene that unfolded in the slain victim’s apartment more than five years ago.

“It is often said that a picture tells a story,” Chief Trial Counsel Patrick M. Haggan told jurors, directing their attention to a crime scene photo of the homicide. “You now know the horrible, vicious story that this picture tells. This is a photo of murder – a photo of cold-blooded murder.” more »