The suspect in a Jamaica Plain bank robbery pleaded guilty yesterday, accepting a prison sentence of up to 12 years rather than face trial, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

ROYAL BENJAMIN, Jr. (D.O.B. 6/27/60), who has no fixed address, admitted to a single count of unarmed robbery for the brazen daylight heist from the Mt. Washington Bank on Centre Street on the afternoon of June 17, 2009. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Patrick Brady sentenced Benjamin to a term of 10 to 12 years in state prison.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Philip O’Brien of Conley’s Senior Trial Unit would have introduced evidence and testimony from bank employees, Boston Police, and other witnesses. The evidence would have shown that Benjamin approached a teller with two $5 bills and requested a roll of dimes. more »

A violent brawl erupted in Suffolk Superior Court today as 16-year-old Terrance Jacobs’ killers were sentenced to life in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Judge Judith Fabricant imposed the mandatory sentence, which allows for the possibility of parole after 15 years, on PAUL GOODE (D.O.B. 1/9/83), PEDRO ORTIZ (D.O.B. 8/8/79), and TERRANCE PABON (D.O.B. 1/22/90), all of Dorchester, and MARKEESE MITCHELL (D.O.B. 4/9/91) of Brockton. The four were convicted yesterday after a four-week trial.

Spectators in the gallery began to mutter, shout, and storm from the room as the clerk of the court read off the men’s sentences. Within seconds, that activity escalated into shouted expletives, pushes, and punches, with court officers and Boston Police ordering all parties from the courtroom. Additional court officers and Boston Police responded to assist in clearing the room and quelling the disturbance, which by then had spilled into the lobby. They made two arrests, suffering minor injuries in the process. more »

Two Dorchester men were held without bail today following their arraignments for the murder of 24-year-old Toneika Jones and the non-fatal shooting of a 19-year-old male on Harvard Street over the weekend, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

KADEEM FOREMAN and TERRELL RAINEY, both 20, were charged with murder, armed assault with intent to murder, and gun offenses in Dorchester District Court this morning. Both were ordered to return to court on June 23.

Assistant District Attorney Gretchen Lundgren of Conley’s Homicide Unit told the court that Jones and the surviving victim were in the vestibule of 183 Harvard St. in Dorchester just after 1:00 Saturday morning when “several shots pierced the metal security door.” more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today announced the convictions of four men for the murder of 16-year-old Terrance Jacobs in Dorchester almost exactly three years ago.

A Suffolk Superior Court jury found PAUL GOODE (D.O.B. 1/9/83), PEDRO ORTIZ (D.O.B. 8/8/79), and TERRANCE PABON (D.O.B. 1/22/90), all of Dorchester, and MARKEESE MITCHELL (D.O.B. 4/9/91) of Brockton guilty of second-degree murder for beating and stabbing Jacobs to death on May 22, 2007.

“This was a just verdict and one supported by the facts, the evidence, and the law,” Conley said. “For three years they’ve waited for justice, and today it was delivered by a jury of 12 members of the community. It took herculean efforts on the street, in the grand jury, and before the jury, but those efforts paid off.” more »

A 42-year-old man was arraigned today in the Central Division of the Boston Municipal Court on charges that he allegedly sexually assaulted a female employee of a Washington Street hotel earlier this month, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

LEONARD HALL (D.O.B. 2/16/68), a homeless man living in Boston, was charged with assault with intent to rape, indecent assault and battery, and assault and battery, all in connection with a May 9 incident at the DoubleTree Boston Hotel.

Assistant District Attorney David Deakin, chief of Conley’s Family Protection and Sexual Assault Bureau, in requesting that Hall be held on $250,000 cash bail, said that “the defendant is somebody without regard for the law and the personal and physical integrity of the person he assaulted.” more »

A Suffolk Superior Court judge last week denied a convicted killer what would have been his third trial for the 1995 murder of 33-year-old Sharilee Banks, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The decision, filed May 13 and received by prosecutors today, upholds the second-degree murder conviction of WILLIAM LaPAGE (D.O.B. 8/20/52) for stabbing Banks to death in her Winthrop home on the morning of Feb. 25, 1995.

LaPage was initially found guilty of Banks’ murder in 1997, but his conviction was overturned four years later when the state’s Supreme Judicial Court found that the trial judge gave faulty instructions on the issue of self-defense. He was found guilty at a second trial in 2005. more »

Two Dorchester men were held on high bails and had their earlier bails revoked after a major marijuana bust led Boston Police to an assault rifle and more than 100 rounds of ammunition, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

RUDOLPH LAWRENCE (D.O.B. 8/14/74) and KAREEM MUHAMMED (D.O.B. 1/1/83) were each held on $750,000 cash bail in the Boston Municipal Court today on charges of trafficking in more than 100 lbs of marijuana.

Additionally, Conley said, both men had their open bails on pending Dorchester charges revoked: Lawrence was on personal recognizance following his February arraignment for possession of a Class D substance with intent to distribute, and Muhammed had been released on $5,000 cash bail following a firearms possession arraignment in October. Prosecutors had sought $15,000 cash bail in that case. more »

The state’s highest court today affirmed a cold-case rape conviction that a lower court vacated last year, ensuring that the defendant will serve out the 15-year prison sentenced imposed after trial, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The Supreme Judicial Court today overruled the Massachusetts Appeals Court’s decision to vacate RONALD McCOY’s 2006 conviction for rape, kidnapping, and assault and battery. The convictions came after Suffolk prosecutors proved that McCoy had held a woman against her will, beat her, and raped her ten years earlier; when the Appeals Court vacated the conviction, prosecutors sought further appellate review by the high court.

In an 11-page decision authored by Justice Francis X. Spina, the SJC found that the introduction of certain testimony was error under the state’s first complaint doctrine but “the error did not create a substantial risk of miscarriage of justice.” more »

A Chelsea man who last month fled police custody was ordered held on $1 million cash bail at his Suffolk Superior Court arraignment today, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

JOEL McDONALD (D.O.B. 1/26/90) is charged with assault with intent to murder, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, unlawful possession of ammunition, and carrying a loaded firearm, all in connection with the Jan. 21 non-fatal shooting of a 53-year-old man near McDonald’s Chelsea home.

McDonald was also charged with assault and battery and two counts of threats for allegedly attacking a 42-year-old female relative who also lives in the Hawthorne Street residence. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office today argued against sentence reductions for two of Boston’s most notorious murderers in hearings before a panel of Superior Court judges.

Assistant District Attorney Charles Bartoloni told Judges Barbara Dortch-Okara, Wendie Gershengorn, and Peter Lauriat that five consecutive life terms was the appropriate sentence for SINY VAN TRAN (D.O.B. 9/9/57). Tran, a one-time Boston resident, was convicted at a 2005 trial of the first-degree murders of Chung Kand Luu, 26; Chung Wah Son, 58; Van Tran, 31; Man Cheung, 55; and David Quang Lam, 32, in the basement of 85 Tyler St. in the early morning hours of Jan. 12, 1991.

A short time later, First Assistant District Attorney Josh Wall argued that JOSEPH COUSIN (D.O.B. 8/9/84) should serve the consecutive sentences imposed following his convictions for the second-degree murder of 10-year-old Trina Persad, unlawful possession of the shotgun with which he shot her, and receiving the stolen motor vehicle from which he fired it on the evening of June 29, 2002. more »

No one has been charged and foul play is not alleged in an incident that left one man dead and sent another to the hospital last night after rescue efforts by four separate public safety agencies, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Massachusetts State Police, fire departments from Boston and Cambridge, and Boston Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the area of the Harvard Bridge, which traverses the Charles River along Massachusetts Avenue, at about 11:00 last night for a report of two men in the water.

An ongoing death investigation by State Police detectives assigned to Conley’s office indicates that one man, a 28-year-old Hyde Park resident, jumped into the water from the bridge and that a friend, a 27-year-old Dorchester man, followed suit in an effort to rescue him. more »

A man who allegedly beat his girlfriend and then tried to shoot her, only to hit a bystander instead, is expected to face trial in Suffolk Superior Court today with the man who allegedly handed him the firearm.

JUSTIN SEARCY (D.O.B. 3/14/90) of Mattapan, who allegedly fired the shot at his 25-year-old girlfriend but struck her 31-year-old male cousin in the face early last year, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and firearms offenses.

THEODORE GAMBLE (D.O.B. 12/8/84) of Jamaica Plain, who allegedly provided Searcy with the loaded .38 caliber revolver as Searcy argued with the woman, is charged with the same offenses. He is also charged under the state’s Armed Career Criminal statute and with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a second or subsequent offense, both of which provide for enhanced penalties if he is convicted. more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today delivered the following remarks on the need for Criminal Offender Record Information reform at the Massachusetts State House:

“As the District Attorney for Suffolk County, I take seriously my obligation to bring criminal offenders to justice, to serve victims, and to use all the powers of my office to protect the public safety. For a long time, the issue of CORI reform has been gridlocked with seemingly no middle ground to be found that balances the public safety with the goal of providing offenders with a fair opportunity to remake their lives as responsible, productive and law abiding citizens.

“Over the past two years, members of my staff and I have had the pleasure of engaging in wide ranging, substantive, and fact-based discussions about CORI reform with people of good will and tremendous integrity, representing any number of constituencies and perspectives on CORI reform. The result of those discussions was that I became convinced that the rights of employers to critical information, the hope of ex-offenders to earn a second chance – and I stress the word earn – and the all-important mandate to promote the public safety, were not mutually exclusive. In fact, the CORI reform provisions adopted by the Senate in November achieved this balance and deserve passage by the House as well. more »

State Police assigned to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office are investigating the discovery of a dead body near Interstate 93 southbound in Boston’s South End last night.

State Police responded at about 9:30 p.m. to find the remains of a white male in what appeared to be a makeshift shelter underneath the Albany Street off ramp. There were no outward signs of trauma and no signs of violence at the scene, but the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy today to determine cause and manner of death.

The deceased has been tentatively identified as a 45-year-old homeless man, but investigators are not releasing his identity until it has been confirmed and next of kin can be notified.

State Police assigned to Conley’s office investigate all unattended deaths and homicides on state highways, waterways, and property within the City of Boston.

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today declared itself hopelessly deadlocked in its deliberations regarding a Roxbury resident accused of gunning down an innocent man during a 2007 shooting that prosecutors say was gang-related.

SHAWN “SHANKS” DAUGHTRY (D.O.B. 5/14/80) of Roxbury, was charged with first-degree murder for the Sept. 20, 2007, shooting death of 29-year-old Urel Duncan. Duncan was sitting outside a Codman Park residence with friends when two men approached the group and opened fire, killing him and wounding another.

Duncan was not involved with gangs, prosecutors said, and was targeted because of where he was – in the Academy Homes housing development – not who he was. more »

A Chelsea man will serve up to 13 years in state prison for fatally stabbing his mother’s boyfriend during a confrontation inside their Chester Avenue home, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

EUGENE TEIXEIRA (D.O.B. 3/25/87) was convicted Thursday of manslaughter for the April 29, 2008 stabbing death of 25-year-old Shadeed “Cleo” Wiggins in the home the two shared with Teixeira’s mother and younger brother. The mother was Wiggins’ girlfriend.

During a sentencing hearing this afternoon in Suffolk Superior Court, Assistant District Attorney Cory Flashner recommended that Teixeira serve 15 years in prison for Superior Court Judge Patrick F. Brady sentenced Teixeira to serve a term of nine to 13 years behind bars. more »

Three men were held on high bail today following their arraignment for allegedly holing up in a Chelsea home after an armed robbery yesterday, prompting a standoff with Chelsea Police and the assistance of the Boston Police SWAT team, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

All three men were charged with armed robbery, armed carjacking, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and firearms offenses. EDWARD FUNES (D.O.B. 2/10/75) of Revere was held on $75,000 cash bail; JOSE PARADA (D.O.B. 1/7/91) of Saugus was held on $50,000; and LUIS SANTIAGO (D.O.B. 7/12/86) of Chelsea was held on $100,000. Chelsea District Court Judge Diana Maldonado ordered all three to return to court on June 14.

Chelsea Police responded to a Spruce Street residence shortly before 8:00 yesterday morning after two victims reported being robbed and beaten at gunpoint near the Addison Street intersection. The victims told officers that they saw the assailants flee into the Spruce Street home. more »

An East Boston man who allegedly tried to steal two pairs of jeans was held on $100,000 cash bail at his arraignment today because the security guards who stopped him also found a loaded handgun on his person, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

JASON MORALES (D.O.B. 2/18/92) was arraigned in the Boston Municipal Court today on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawfully carrying a loaded handgun, and larceny under $250.

Suffolk prosecutors told the court that Morales was observed at about 6:30 on Saturday evening in the Macy’s at Downtown Crossing. After allegedly noting the positions of store security cameras, Morales was allegedly seen placing two pairs of Levi’s jeans into a shopping bag he’d been carrying. Morales allegedly tried to leave the department store without paying for the pants. more »

Jury selection is scheduled to begin today for the trial of a Lynn man accused of stabbing his mother to death in her Revere home two years ago.

COREY ROCHE (D.O.B. 6/15/84) is charged with first-degree murder and armed assault with intent to murder for allegedly stabbing 42-year-old Lisa Bryson Roche to death inside her Fernview Avenue residence on the afternoon of Feb. 25, 2008.

Revere Police responded to the scene at about 3:15 to find Roche holding a knife and his mother suffering grievous injuries. Officers ordered him to drop his weapon; Roche allegedly refused to do so and instead extended it toward an officer. He sustained a single gunshot wound from a Revere Police service weapon. more »

The leader of a botched ransom plot will spend at least two decades behind bars for kidnapping, beating, and trying to kill a small-time marijuana dealer two years ago, and two of his co-defendants will serve terms that are shorter but still significant, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano sentenced JOSEPH CALDWELL (D.O.B. 12/5/82) of Mattapan to a term of 20 to 25 years in state prison on the lead charge of kidnapping with intent to extort, plus concurrent sentences of 18 to 20 years and 14 to 15 years for attempted murder and aggravated assault and battery. Caldwell was convicted of those offenses on April 15.

Gaziano said he took note of the “physical and psychological harm” done to the victim in deciding on the sentence, and further noted that Caldwell’s prior state prison sentences on unrelated offenses “didn’t deter him from his conduct. In fact, he was on probation at the time of the offense.” more »

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted a Chelsea man of stabbing his mother’s boyfriend to death during a melee inside their Chester Avenue home two years ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

EUGENE TEIXEIRA (D.O.B. 3/25/87) was convicted of manslaughter for the April 29, 2008, stabbing death of 25-year-old Cleo “Shadeed” Wiggins. Jurors acquitted Teixeira’s brother, AASIM SMITH (D.O.B. 4/13/92), of his role in the incident.

Prosecutors had argued during the two-week trial that Teixeira fatally stabbed Wiggins and that Smith, who allegedly wielded a baseball bat but was kept away from Wiggins by a family friend, shared his deadly intent. more »

A former building and grounds manager for the Massachusetts Society for the Protection of Animals was formally charged today with setting a fire in the agency’s Boston headquarters earlier this year, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

At his Superior Court arraignment this morning, WILLIAM FITZGERALD (D.O.B. 4/19/58) of Plymouth pleaded not guilty to charges of arson of a dwelling, willful and wanton destruction of property, and injuries to a firefighter resulting from criminal offenses. The charges stem from a February fire at 350 South Huntington Ave. more »

The Suffolk County Grand Jury yesterday indicted a former employee of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for allegedly setting a fire in the agency’s headquarters, which housed animals and veterinarians at the time, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

WILLIAM FITZGERALD (D.O.B. 4/19/58) of Plymouth is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of arson of a dwelling, willful and wanton destruction of property, and injury to a firefighter.

The indictments allege that FitzGerald started a fire on the fourth floor of 350 South Huntington Ave. late on Feb. 19. FitzGerald is a former MSPCA manager of building and grounds; he has since been terminated from that position. more »

Seven adults and two juveniles were arraigned today for a “shocking” group attack on a developmentally disabled teen on Parkman Street in Dorchester yesterday, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Arraigned in Dorchester District Court today were: more »

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, joining Police Commissioner Edward Davis and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, today delivered the following remarks urging community cooperation in the April 8 homicide of 14-year-old Jaewon Martin on Parker Street:

“One of the questions we’re asked after crimes as horrible as this one is “Why.” Why did this happen? Why would anyone kill a 14-year-old in cold blood as he stood talking to friends, posing no threat to anyone? more »

A suspect in the stabbing death of 22-year-old Beau Youngs was held without bail today following his arraignment on a murder charge, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Hickman of Conley’s Homicide Unit told the court that KEVIN JAMES (D.O.B. 11/1/66) wielded the knife that left Youngs mortally wounded during a physical altercation late on the evening of April 30. Youngs was transported to Boston Medical Center, where he later died of a single stab wound to the heart. Neither Youngs nor James had a fixed address. more »

The trials of three men for two separate Suffolk County homicides ended with closing arguments and jury instructions this morning, with both cases expected to go to their respective Superior Court juries by this afternoon.

Summing up the case against SHAWN “SHANKS” DAUGHTRY (D.O.B. 5/14/80) of Roxbury, charged with first-degree murder for the 2007 shooting death of 29-year-old Urel Duncan, Assistant District Attorney Gretchen Lundgren said that Daughtry was bent on retaliating against members of a rival gang when he traveled to Codman Park with a firearm.

“On Sept. 20, 2007, Urel Duncan was doing nothing more than hanging out with friends and family,” Lundgren said. “He did nothing more than live on a street in Academy Homes territory.” more »

The Chelsea youth shot Tuesday succumbed to his injury last night, investigators said this morning.

Roland Polacios, 17, died at Massachusetts General Hospital shortly before 11:30 last night. He had sustained a gunshot wound at about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon in the area of 20 Suffolk St. in Chelsea.

Chelsea Police and State Police detectives assigned to the Suffolk DA’s office have been investigating the shooting “non-stop” since shortly after it took place, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said. more »

Chelsea Police and State Police assigned to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office are investigating a shooting that left a Chelsea teen near death yesterday afternoon.

Chelsea Police were called to the area of 20 Suffolk St. in Chelsea at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon for a report of a man shot. They found a 17-year-old male Chelsea resident suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Because of the nature of the injury, members of the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit were notified and responded to the scene. State Police assigned to the Suffolk DA’s office investigate all homicides in the City of Chelsea with the support and assistance of Chelsea Police. more »