Three Displaced by Morning Fire on Mass Ave
Three South End residents are displaced after a small fire broke out in a 2nd floor apartment on Massachusetts Ave. in the South End on Wednesday morning, according to the Boston Fire Department. The fire started around 9:40 a.m. inside a unit at 528 Massachusetts Ave. Spokesperson Stephen McDonald said no one was home at the time, and no one was injured. Damage to the apartment was estimated at $ 100,000 due to the fire, smoke, and extensive water damage on the 2nd floor where the fire started, down to the first floor and basement. The American Red Cross said this afternoon they assisted three people from two units that were displaced by the fire. “Volunteers provided them emergency temporary shelter, a hotel stay, and funds for food and clothing,” said spokesperson Ashley Studley in a statement. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, said McDonald. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
FBI: Three Classmates Destroyed Bombing Evidence to Help Friend
Federal law officials believe three classmates of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev destroyed evidence in Darmouth while the suspected bombing brothers fought police in a gunfight in Watertown. In a complaint filed in federal court Wednesday, special agent Scott Cieplik claims suspect Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov destroyed or concealed a laptop and backpack filled with fireworks. Third suspect Robel Phillipos, meanwhile, is being charged with lying to federal officials. According to the complaint, the April 18 night started when Kadyrbayev texted Tsarnaev, needling his friend about his resemblance to the FBI photos released earlier that day. Tsarnaev wrote back “LOL” and then said Kadyrbayev could go get anything they needed from Tsarnaev’s UMass Dartmouth dorm room. According to Cieplik, Kadyrbayev, Tazhayakov and Phillipos went to Tsarnaev’s dorm room to watch a movie. While there, Kadyrbayev noticed a backpack with fireworks. The powder was removed from inside the fireworks, which made Kadyrbayev believe that Tsarnaev really was the person in the FBI photos. According to the complaint, he then grabbed the bag and Tsarnaev’s laptop and, along with Tazhayakov and Phillipos, went back to his own apartment The three decided to throw the bag and fireworks away because they didn’t want Tsarnaev to get into trouble. Kadyrbayev alone tossed the emptied firework husks and backpack into a trash bag and dropped it in a dumpster near the apartment, but with Tazhayakov’s and Phillipos’s knowledge. When interviewed later, Tazhayakov largely corroborated Kadyrbayev’s story, mentioning the group also took a jar of Vaseline, which Tazhayakov thought Tsarnaev may have used to make the bombs. Tazhayakov said he knew Kadyrbayev was going to throw the backpack and fireworks into a dumpster. Phillipos, meanwhile, initially denied going to Tsarnaev’s room with the others, saying instead he watched television at Tazhayakov’s apartment until about 4 a.m. Friday morning. In a second interview, Phillipos said he didn’t remember going to Tsarnaev’s room. When pressed, he then said he did, in fact, remember going to the room to see if the photos on television were actually of Tsarnaev, but that the door was locked when they arrived. According to the affidavit, Phillipos came clean during a fourth interview on April 26, admitting he had lied in earlier talks with officials, and then signed a statement read to him. That statement corroborated the stories told by the other two suspects. Phillipos said the trio “started to freak out” when they realized their friend Tsarnaev was one of the marathon bombers and discussed throwing out the backpack and fireworks. Also on April 26, agents searching a nearby landfill found the backpack, emptied fireworks and a homework sheet for one of Tsarnaev’s classes. South End Patch
Boston Police: Three New Bombing Suspects in Custody
Boston Police announced a major new development in the Boston Marathon bombing case Wednesday morning. According to the department, there are three new suspects in custody. Boston Police tweeted the news just after 11 a.m. Wednesday. There were no further details, though the police said they would offer more information soon. There is no additional information being released at the moment. BPD said additional details will be provided when they become available. Police stressed there was no immediate threat to the public. UPDATES BELOW 12:25 p.m. Governor Deval Patrick told Boston Globe reporter Michael Levinson that the three suspects did not participate in the bombing, but may have committed crimes after the fact. ***** 12:09 p.m. There is a heavy security presence around the Moakley Federal Courthouse right now amid reports the three suspects are being transfered there to appear in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings. ***** 12 p.m. WCVB is reporting that the complaint against the three is sealed, but the three allegedly helped bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarneav remove items from his dorm room at UMass Dartmouth. ABC News’ Brian Ross said he spoke with a lawyer connected to the case. According to Ross, the three removed a backpack filled with fireworks from Tsarneav’s dorm room at the suspect’s request sometime after the bombing. South End Patch
Three Arrested in New Bedford in Relation to Marathon Bombings
Three people with ties to the Boston Marathon bombing were arrested Friday night in New Bedford. Police arrested three suspects from the Hidden Brook Apartments on Carriage Drive in New Bedford, according to ABC6.com in Providence Friday night. Minutes later, police in Watertown took into custody Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. South End Patch
Police Continue to Hunt for Clues as Explosions Leave Three Dead, Dozens Injured
Law enforcement officials are searching for who is responsible for detonating two explosives that killed three people and injured up to 125 near the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Moments after two explosions occurred on Boylston Street Monday afternoon, panicked runners and spectators began fleeing Copley Square as police quickly cleared the area and locked down the Back Bay. “All of a sudden everyone turned around and was running in the opposite direction,” said Mary Bickford, 21, of Abington. Bickford was near the finish line when the bombs denoated. “All the runners, all the people cleared out, and police were going toward the finish line.” Near the finish line, several survivors lay injured, some who had limbs torn off in the explosions. Others were crying as they took in the chaotic scene and first responders rushed in. Several victims, including an 8-year-old boy who died, were children. Childrens Hospital reported that those treated there included a 9-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, a 12-year-old, and a 2-year-old, the Boston Globe reported. Mass General Hospital said it was treating eight patients in critical condition. Police were stationed at the entrances to the hospital. Brigham and Women’s Hospital received the most, with 26 treated, including two in critical condition, according to the Globe report. Monday night police were questioning a “person of interest” who was among the victims there. As victims were rushed to area hospitals, police from Boston and surrounding towns not near Copley Square were assembling on the Boston Common to discuss how to proceed. Around 4 p.m., about an hour and a half after the two explosions, the Boston Police bomb squad staged a controlled blast. Early Monday evening the FBI said “the situation remains fluid and itremains too early to establish the cause and motivation.” The FBI has issued a national tip line for any information related to today’s bombings. Anyone with information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), and select prompt #3. “No piece of information or detail is too small,” wrote the FBI in the release. The Park Plaza Castle will again serve as a resource center on Tuesday. Residents and runners can go there for counseling services, to arrange for shelter, find runner belongings and other services. When asked if the explosions were a terrorist act, Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said, “We’re not being definitive on this right now, but you can reach your own conclusions based on what happened.” At a press conference Monday night, President Barack Obama said, “We still do not know who did this or why. People shouldn’t jump to conclusions until we have all the facts… We will find out who did this and […]
Adoption of Zander (and three companion cases) (Lawyers Weekly No. 11-036-13)
NOTICE: All slip opinions and orders are subject to formal revision and are superseded by the advance sheets and bound volumes of the Official Reports. If you find a typographical error or other formal error, please notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Judicial Court, John Adams Courthouse, 1 Pemberton Square, Suite 2500, Boston, MA 02108-1750; (617) 557-1030; SJCReporter@sjc.state.ma.us 12‑P‑491 Appeals Court ADOPTION OF ZANDER (and three companion cases[1]). No. 12‑P‑491. Essex. December 4, 2012. ‑ February 27, 2013. Present: Kantrowitz, Katzmann, & Hanlon, JJ. Adoption, Visitation rights. Minor, Adoption, Visitation rights. Parent and Child, Adoption. Petitions filed in the Essex County Division of the Juvenile Court Department on September 5, 2008. The cases were heard by Joseph F. Johnston, J. Michael S. Penta for the mother. Ann V. Crowley for Zander & others. Daniel R. Katz for the father. Timothy J. Casey, Assistant Attorney General, for Department of Children and Families. Debra Perrotta Dow for Sam. KATZMANN, J. Marjorie, Amy, Zander and Sam are siblings. They have the same biological mother. Marjorie and Zander were adopted by the biological mother’s sister and husband. Amy was adopted by the Fisher family, and Sam was adopted by the Williams family. This appeal arises from the adoption plan for Sam and from the visitation determinations by a judge of the Juvenile Court. Different parties to the adoption appeal separate aspects of the decrees: (1) Sam’s biological father and mother appeal the judge’s decision to accept the Department of Children and Families (DCF) adoption plan rather than the biological father’s plan and the judge’s decision to deny them postadoption visits with Sam; (2) Marjorie, Amy, and Zander (the three oldest children) and the mother argue that the judge did not order sufficient visitation between the above children and the mother; and (3) the three older children and the mother also argue that the judge committed error in refusing to issue an official sibling visitation schedule. We affirm in part and remand on the issue of sibling visitation between the three oldest children. Discussion. 1. Adoption plan for Sam. The biological parents argue that the judge abused his discretion when he accepted the DCF adoption plan over the biological father’s plan. In arriving at such a decision, the judge properly considered the best interests of Sam. This court may only review such a decision for abuse of discretion or clear error of law. Adoption of Hugo, 428 Mass. 219, 225 (1998), cert. denied sub nom. Hugo P. v. George P., 526 U.S. 1034 (1999). As a general matter, the trial judge is charged with evaluating each of the adoption plans. […]