A holiday season toy drive at one of Boston’s busiest transportation hubs will benefit abused, neglected, and at-risk children in Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop for the second year in a row, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

The annual toy drive at the South Station Train Terminal, organized by the Retailers of South Station and Equity Office, gets under way this morning and will collect unwrapped books, games, and toys from commuters and Secret Santas alike. Upon its Dec. 16 completion, the goods will be delivered to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County for distribution to agencies countywide that work with child victims of physical and sexual abuse. more »

The Chelsea man found dead in his apartment Friday was the victim of a homicide under investigation by State Police assigned to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office and Chelsea Police detectives.

Frederick Allen, 56, was found deceased shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 inside his apartment at 170 Bellingham St. in Chelsea. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner this weekend deemed Allen’s death a homicide. more »

A suspect in the Thanksgiving Day slaying of 30-year-old Carlos Ramirez was held without bail today following his arraignment in connection with the Chelsea man’s stabbing death, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

DENNIS BOWEN (D.O.B. 9/8/89) was charged today with one count of murder for Ramirez’ death in the area of 759 Broadway, where Bowen lives. Acting on a request by Assistant District Attorney Amy Galatis, Judge Benjamin Barnes ordered Bowen held without bail. more »

State Police homicide detectives assigned to Suffolk County District attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office are investigating a shooting that left a man near death late last night.

The victim has been identified as a 41-year-old South Boston man. His name is being withheld at this time. As of early this morning he was in critical condition at Boston Medical Center. more »

The second defendant charged in connection with the September slayings of a toddler and three adults was held without bail following his arraignment for their murders and a series of related offenses, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

DWAYNE MOORE (D.O.B. 6/25/77) of Mattapan was arrested last night by Boston Police homicide detectives on a warrant charging him with four counts of murder for the shooting deaths of Levaughn Washum-Garrison, Simba Martin, Eyanna Flonory, and her son, Amanihotep Smith, shortly after 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 28. more »

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today announced charges against a Dorchester man in connection with a pair of previously-unsolved 2004 sexual assaults.

ANWAR THOMAS (D.O.B. 5/9/82) is charged with eight counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, and a series of related offenses for attacks on different women in September 2004. Boston Police yesterday lodged arrest warrants for Thomas at the Middlesex County House of Corrections, where he is serving time on an unrelated charge. more »

An Everett man was held on $75,000 cash bail today for allegedly beating a young woman in the head with a baseball bat on Halloween, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

CARMEN PICARDI (D.O.B. 1/17/71) was arraigned this morning in the Boston Municipal Court on charges of mayhem and armed assault with intent to murder. In addition to setting the bail recommended by Assistant District Attorney David Givskud, Judge Robert McKenna ordered Picardi to return to court on Dec. 9. more »

Boston Police and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office tonight released the following statement on the arrest of DWAYNE MOORE, 33, for the Sept. 28 shooting deaths of a toddler and three adults on Woolson Street: more »

The Suffolk County Grand Jury today returned indictments charging two Chelsea residents with murder for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Ronald Palacios in May, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.

The indictments charge ERLIN MEJIA (D.O.B. 8/10/91) and KEVIN SEMIGLIA (D.O.B. 1/14/90) with one count each of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting Polacios on the afternoon of May 4, causing injuries that would claim the young man’s life at Massachusetts General Hospital the following evening. more »

A Roxbury man was held without bail today on a murder charge stemming from the shooting death of 28-year-old Senai Jamaal Williams in a Homestead Street apartment building yesterday afternoon, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

JAMES ALLEN (D.O.B. 8/30/88) is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm. He was arraigned in Roxbury District Court following his arrest last night by Boston Police homicide detectives amid a fast-breaking investigation into Williams’ death. more »

The Suffolk County Grand Jury yesterday returned an eight-count indictment charging a Millbury man with posing unsuccessfully as the rightful heir to over $1 million in unclaimed assets held by the State Treasurer’s Abandoned Property Division, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The indictments charge KEVIN L. UPSHAW (D.O.B. 10/6/68) with three counts of forgery, three counts of uttering, and single counts of attempted larceny over $250 and giving a false statement under the penalties of perjury. The charges stem from Upshaw’s alleged attempts to pose as the rightful recipient of more than $1 million dollars in property held in the name of a deceased Winthrop doctor. more »

The second of two Dorchester men charged in a late 2009 shooting pleaded guilty yesterday, with both defendants now serving state prison terms instead of driving violence in Boston’s Cape Verdean community, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

VINCENT DAVIS (D.O.B. 10/16/91) yesterday admitted firing a volley of shots at a group on Albion Street on the night of Dec. 2, 2009. Several of those shots struck a 30-year-old Roxbury man, seriously injuring him. Prosecutors recommended a term of 10 to 12 years in state prison; Suffolk Superior Court Judge Carol Ball sentenced him to a term of eight to 10 years to be followed by three years of probation upon his release. more »

The 21-year-old Roxbury man didn’t know about the dispute that would claim his life when he stopped to talk with a group of friends on Maywood Street on the evening of Feb. 13, 2007, a Suffolk County prosecutor told a Superior Court jury this morning.

“For Fausto Sanchez,” Assistant District Attorney Julie Higgins said, “it was the ultimate example of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Sanchez, Higgins said, was shot dead by two men: EMMANUEL DASILVA (D.O.B. 10/24/84) of Roxbury and his uncle, JOSEPH GOMES (D.O.B. 4/20/67) of Hyde Park. The pair was looking for another man they believed had fired shots in the area of Dasilva’s Langdon Street home, and Sanchez’ group was standing in the vicinity of that man’s residence. more »

Two Everett women were held on high bail today following their arraignment on charges that the robbery they’d planned led to a Winthrop woman’s near-fatal stabbing, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Assistant District Attorney Erik Bennett recommended that SHARNELL DONAHUE (D.O.B. 8/12/79) be held on $500,000 cash bail and DIANE TUCK (D.O.B. 7/2/59) be held on $250,000 cash bail at this morning’s proceedings in East Boston District Court. Judge Roberto Ronquillo, Jr., set both women’s bail at $50,000. more »

A repeat rapist now faces potential lifetime commitment at a secure facility under the state’s Sexually Dangerous Person laws, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Geraldine Hines today ordered JOHN J. KELLEHER, 59, to the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater for a period of one day to life after Assistant District Attorney Barbara Young proved that he is “likely to engage in further sexual offenses if not confined to a secure facility” and thus sexually dangerous under Massachusetts law. Hines’ decision came after a five-day jury-waived trial last month. more »

A Chelsea man was held on $15,000 cash bail and had his open bail on an earlier domestic violence case revoked at his arraignment this morning for allegedly striking his wife, who later died, inside their Maverick Street residence Monday evening.

FREDERICK WILKES (D.O.B. 5/18/56) was formally charged today with assault and battery upon Theresa Kenna Wilkes for his alleged actions during a physical altercation that erupted in front of a third party who was present inside their home at the time. He already faces an open assault case stemming from earlier alleged abuse dating back to September. more »

A Superior Court clerk magistrate ordered a 25-year-old man held without bail following his arraignment for allegedly throwing a glass that shattered and fatally sliced a stranger’s throat, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

HECTOR GUARDIOLA (D.O.B. 5/8/85) of South Boston is charged with manslaughter for the death of Michael DiMaria, a Hicksville, New York, resident who bled to death at the Lansdowne Pub shortly after midnight on Aug. 14. He is additionally charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for allegedly injuring two other people with the same glass. more »

State Police homicide detectives assigned to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office and Chelsea Police detectives are investigating the death of a woman outside a Chelsea residence.

The woman’s body was discovered by a passerby shortly after 6:00 this morning in a driveway adjacent to 123 Maverick St. An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to determine the cause and manner of her death. more »

As his brother’s killer was sentenced to life in prison today, a 12-year-old boy threw down a gauntlet and urged adults to “step up and help the younger generation so they don’t follow the wrong path to the streets.”

The boy’s heartfelt plea came in a victim-witness impact statement he delivered following the second-degree murder conviction of JAMES “GUNNA” WALKER (D.O.B. 9/9/86) for shooting 20-year-old Antoine Perkins to death four years ago. Walker was convicted Wednesday. more »

The East Boston woman who allegedly threw her newborn son from her second-floor window will likely face trial in June of next year, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

EVA FLORES (D.O.B. 5/5/92) is charged with assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury and wanton or reckless behavior creating a risk of serious bodily injury. In addition to scheduling the presumptive trial date of June 6, 2011, Clerk Magistrate Gary D. Wilson set Flores’ bail at $10,000 cash, noting that she is the subject of a detainer filed by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. more »

A Suffolk County grand jury yesterday returned indictments against an East Boston teen who allegedly threw her baby boy out a second floor window moments after giving birth, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The indictments charge EVA FLORES (D.O.B. 5/5/92) with one count each of assault and battery on a child causing serious injury and wanton and reckless endangerment of a child. The charges stem from a Sept. 20 incident at Flores’ Saratoga Street home. more »

A 65-year-old Dorchester woman will serve at least two years in prison for stabbing 74-year-old Julius Scott to death in the apartment they shared last year, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano today sentenced VERNA SEWELL (D.O.B. 12/21/44) to a term of two to four years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Framingham. Sewell was convicted Tuesday of involuntary manslaughter for the May 8, 2009, incident in Scott’s Talbot Street apartment. Sewell had been indicted for second-degree murder. more »

The three young adults charged with murdering Richel Nova earlier this year discussed a plan to rob someone hours before they lured him to a vacant home and stabbed him to death, a Suffolk County prosecutor said at their arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court today.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Hickman of Suffolk DA Daniel F. Conley’s Homicide Unit today gave the most detailed account yet of the events leading to Nova’s death just after midnight on Sept. 2, asking that ALEXANDER GALLETT (D.O.B. 4/28/92) of Hyde Park; his girlfriend, YAMILEY MATHURIN (D.O.B. 2/25/93) of Mattapan; and MICHEL ST. JEAN (D.O.B. 8/3/90) of Hyde Park remain behind bars pending trial. more »

A member of the notorious Lucerne Street Doggz was convicted of murdering a one-time associate today as a former 911 dispatcher was acquitted of stabbing her husband to death after he came home late on his 40th birthday.

Juries in the separate trials of JAMES “GUNNA” WALKER (D.O.B. 9/9/86) and SHARON FITZPATRICK (D.O.B. 7/26/71) delivered their verdicts almost simultaneously this afternoon in Suffolk Superior Court. Walker was convicted of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Antoine “Pun” Perkins on July 22, 2006, while Fitzpatrick was acquitted of the same offense for the stabbing death of her husband, Sylvester Mitchell, in their Evans Street home in the early morning hours of May 5, 2007. more »

A Dorchester man was held on high bail following his arraignment for allegedly using a children’s high chair to beat a stabbing victim in a Chinatown restaurant early this morning, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

HARVEY HENRY (D.O.B. 2/7/85) was arraigned in the Boston Municipal Court today on charges of armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Judge Edward Redd set bail at $30,000 as requested by Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Walsh and further ordered Henry to stay away from the victim, stay out of Chinatown, and surrender his passport if he posts bail. Henry was born in Jamaica. more »

A Suffolk Superior Court jury this morning convicted a 65-year-old Dorchester woman of manslaughter for stabbing 74-year-old Julius Scott to death in the apartment they shared last year, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Jurors found VERNA SEWELL (D.O.B. 12/21/44) guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the incident, which took place inside Scott’s Talbot Street home on the evening of May 8, 2009. Sewell had been indicted for second-degree murder. more »

The Suffolk County Grand Jury today returned indictments charging three suspects with first-degree murder and other offenses connected to the fatal stabbing of 58-year-old Richel Nova in a vacant Hyde Park home two months ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The indictments charge ALEXANDER GALLETT (D.O.B. 4/28/92) of Hyde Park; his girlfriend, YAMILEY MATHURIN (D.O.B. 2/25/93) of Mattapan, and MICHEL ST. JEAN (D.O.B. 8/3/90) of Hyde Park with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and breaking and entering for the incident that claimed Nova’s life shortly after midnight on the morning of Sept. 3. more »

Sylvester Mitchell’s wife “picked the wrong lie” when she told police she had nothing to do with his homicide, only to change her story later and claim she stabbed him in self-defense, a senior Suffolk County prosecutor said at the close of her trial today.

“She lied, because she knew she had done wrong,” said Assistant District Attorney David Deakin, chief of the Suffolk DA’s Family Protection and Sexual Assault Bureau. “She stabbed her husband and she knew she had been caught.”

SHARON FITZPATRICK (D.O.B. 7/26/71) is charged with second-degree murder for stabbing Mitchell to death in their Evans Street home at about 4:30 a.m. on his 40th birthday, May 5, 2007. more »