Gonzalez found incompetent to stand trial SALEM — A Lynn man charged in connection with the 2008 disappearance of his 5-year-old son has been deemed incompetent to stand trial. “I think it was the appropriate decision by the district attorney and the judge,” Defense Attorney Russel Sobelman said of the ruling. “To the district attorney’s [...]
Man deemed incompetent to stand trial in son’s disappearance SALEM — The father of a Boston boy missing since 2008 was declared incompetent Thursday to stand trial in the child’s disappearance, raising the possibility that charges will be dismissed because he has already been in jail for years. In a 10-minute hearing, Judge Timothy Feeley [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled today in Maryland v. King, 133 S.Ct. 594 (2012) that police can now take a DNA swab from a persons mouth after they had been arrested for a "serious offense". In a 5-4 decision, the majority related a DNA swab to taking fingerprints or mugshot at the time of arrest. [...]
In 2010, The United States Supreme Court held in the landmark decision of Padilla v. Kentucky, 130 S.Ct. 1473 (2010) that defense attorneys must inform non-citizen clients the risks of deportation arising from guilty pleas. After this decision the real question became is the ruling retroactive? The US Supreme Court did not answer this important [...]
First chemist Annie Dookhan, and now chemist Sonja Farak is facing criminal charges for not properly handling drugs that were to be analyzed and stored at their Boston-area laboratories. These are not just drugs, it is evidence that will likely be used during court proceedings, whether it be a motion hearing or at trial. Sure, many think that it is just good that the drugs are [...]
