BOSTON, Jan. 16, 2012—The murder conviction in the fatal 2006 strangulation of 19-year-old Dominique Samuels will remain in place, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said, praising the efforts of homicide and appellate prosecutors in the case against her killer.

“Dominique’s life was snuffed out by one man, one vicious man who would do anything to avoid accountability for his actions,” Conley said. “Today, the Appeals Court affirmed his conviction for murder and denied him a new trial. The evidence was strong, the case was tried expertly, and justice was done for a young woman taken too soon. I’m very proud of the men and women who fought so hard on her behalf.”

The 2008 trial of RODRICK TAYLOR (D.O.B. 5/15/71) was one of the longest homicide trials in Suffolk County history, with a full seven weeks of testimony between lawyers’ opening statements and the jury’s guilty verdict. He was found guilty of second-degree murder for strangling the 19-year-old Milton High School graduate to death in the early morning hours of April 28, 2006, then setting her remains on fire in Franklin Park to destroy any forensic evidence that might incriminate him.

On appeal, Taylor argued that his right to a speedy trial was violated by the delay between his July 2006 indictment and the May 2008 start of his trial. The Appeals Court rejected that argument, finding instead that the defense had agreed to more than a year of delays in the course of the case.

Taylor also argued that the trial prosecutor’s closing argument was improper. The Appeals Court again rejected his claim.

“The prosecutor’s criticisms of the defense were a reasonable response to defense counsel’s arguments,” Justices Sydney Hanlon, R. Marc Kantrowitz, and Gary Katzmann wrote. “Moreover, the comments about the strength of the evidence and the defendant’s whereabouts at the time that he called [a prosecution witness] were proper rejoinders.”

Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin, now chief of the DA’s Homicide Unit, tried the case. Assistant District Attorneys Kathleen Celio and Sarah Montgomery argued the case before the Appeals Court. Taylor was represented on appeal by attorney Chauncy Wood.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.