Dorchester

Man admits role in mechanic's murder over balky Volvo engine

adamg — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:27:33 +0000

A man upset over the alleged bum engine a mechanic put in his wife's car admitted today he helped a friend gun the mechanic down in the Dorchester District Court parking lot, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Mario Burns, 39, pleaded guilty to manslaughter a day after his trial for Charles Contave's murder on March 29, 2010. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine McEvoy sentenced him to 15 years in prison for his change of plea. Cornelius Evans pleaded guilty in November to pulling the trigger.

Prosecutors say Burns, his wife and Contave had just left a small-claims hearing at Dorchester District Court, when Evans arrived, Burns pointed out Contave and Evans shot him to death in the court parking lot, a couple blocks away from the court.

Man charged with murder of two Dorchester sisters but remains at large

adamg — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:05:49 +0000

Authorities today charged Jean Weevens Janvier, 30, of Dorchester, for the murder of Stephanie and Judith Emile on Harlem Street last Nov. 14.

Boston Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office are seeking the public's help to find Janvier.

If you know where he is, contact the homicide unit at 617-343-4470 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or texting TIP to CRIME (27463).

Innocent, etc.

Firefighter suffers head injury at two-alarm fire in Dorchester

adamg — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:34:50 +0000

Remains of a room at 101 Maxwell St. Photo by BFD.

A bedroom short circuit caused a two-alarm fire this morning at 101 Maxwell St., the Boston Fire Department reports.

No residents were injured, but one firefighter was taken to Carney Hospital with a head injury, the department says. Damage was estimated at $200,000.

2/4/12 - 9:40 am

Cripes, leave Little Joe alone already

adamg — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:03:32 +0000

Hasn't the poor guy suffered enough indignities in his life in Franklin Park? The Globe reports the gorilla was unable to pick between the Patriots and Giants so the zoo had to swap in some substitute gorilla for the dumb stunt.

Man charged with attempted murder while on bail on charges he shot at somebody repeatedly

adamg — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:42:43 +0000

12/25/11 - 4:00 am

Boston Police report arresting a Randolph man on charges he shot somebody on Christmas morning, three months after he was arrested on charges he tried to shoot somebody else.

Driveway rage: Police say man tired of parents stopping in front of his driveway to pick up kids threatened one with a rifle

adamg — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:15:52 +0000

1/25/12 - 3:31 pm

Boston Police report arresting a Greenwood Street resident who'd allegedly finally snapped at all the parents who stop in front of his driveway to pick up kids at the school across the street.

House erupts into flames next to firehouse

adamg — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:06:58 +0000

25-27 Gallivan Blvd. Photo by BFD.

A fire reported around 1 p.m. at 25-27 Gallivan Blvd. quickly went to two alarms. The cause of the fire, which appears to have started in a second-floor bedroom, is now under investigation.

The Boston Fire Department reports one resident was taken to a local hospital with smoke inhalation. A total of six residents were displaced by the fire, which did an estimated $300,000 in damage, the department reports.

1/21/12 - 1:00 pm

Another Dot rat makes good

adamg — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:02:50 +0000

The Awl interviews Kerry Burke, who covers the "murder and mayhem" beat for the New York Daily News - and who grew up in a Dorchester housing project, which he brings up to explain why he feels his work is important:

If these stories aren't told, then these people don't count and these places don't exist. They don't. I'm from the old neighborhood, as it were, of Dorchester in the Boston area, and I know a little bit about being outside of society. Frankly, the awful things that happened in our neighborhood were the things that really impacted our lives. ... I remember growing up and occasionally some horrific shit would go down in my neighborhood. And it would be ignored by the media. It told us we didn't count. It made plain that we were outside society. These stories count, just like the people who live in these neighborhoods.

Police charge Dorchester man ended argument by repeatedly plunging knife into opponent

adamg — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:26:35 +0000

1/18/12 - 11:55 pm

Boston Police report arresting Melvin Wright, 28, on charges he sent another man to Boston Medical Center with multiple life-threatening stab wounds shortly before midnight last night.

Wright, police say, stabbed another man repeatedly during a "verbal altercation" at 107 Devon St.

He was charged with assault with intent to murder and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.

Innocent, etc.

Owner of Codman Square restaurant admits he did a bad, bad thing in bid to get his license back

adamg — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:16:27 +0000

Ed. note: The amount of Graham's bounced license check was $2,219, not $134. The amount has been updated in the post; apologies for anybody misled by the incorrect figure.

Christopher Graham says he found himself in pretty dire straits the weekend of Jan. 7. The day before, a police detective had seized the food-serving license of his Lorenez Island Kuisine because the check he used to pay for its renewal had bounced. And as the detective, Robert Mulvey warned him, without the license, he had to shut immediately.

With no money to pay for the license, Graham told the Boston Licensing Board today, he panicked and held an illegal after-hours party that began early on Jan. 8 and ended when police, responding to the latest noise complaint about the 657 Washington St. restaurant, arrived around 2:55 a.m. and shut him down.

Graham raised enough money to pay for his license - more than $2,000 - but the move may well backfire on him: The licensing board votes Thursday whether to strip him of his license altogether or suspend it for a period of time. This is at least the second time Graham has bounced a check to the board.

Winter officially arrives in Dorchester

adamg — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:00:32 +0000

Dave Ahern looked out the window of his Dorchester home to see what a thin coating of snow means. He used the hashtag #yougottabekiddin

Snow catches Boston by surprise

adamg — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:38:49 +0000

Crash at Everett and Clevemont in Brighton. Photo by bbarbaruolo.

Update, 11 p.m.: Expressway in Dorchester at a complete standstill in both directions; six cars collided on the Zakim.

Drivers unaccustomed to powder-covered roads, coupled with a lack of salt, means spinouts and crashes are beginning to pile up. A Hummer ran up into a house on Lake Street in Brighton, but did no major damage to either house or people. Police shut Everett Street in Brighton after cars started playing pinball. Boston DPW salt trucks began blasting out of their yards to treat roads around 10:45 p.m.

Ed. note: I held off on raising the French Toast Alert based on a forecast that called for everything to melt by morning as temperatures rose into the 40s. I should have known better.

Police: High-speed wrong-way car thief causes four-car crash on Expressway

adamg — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:02:12 +0000

State and Boston Police say a guy driving a stolen car from Medford sped away from a state trooper today, eventually causing a a four-way crash on I-93 and then fleeing on foot into Dorchester's Port Norfolk section, where police found him hiding under another vehicle.

According to State Police, a trooper noticed a stolen Dodge Caravan on Adams Street and began "a slow speed chase" around noon today. The driver refused to stop, then sped up and raced onto Morrissey Boulevard going the wrong way:

At that point we terminated the pursuit but continued attempting to monitor the vehicle's path of travel. Reports indicated that the suspect vehicle continued from Morrissey to the rotary and then onto Route 93 going southbound in the northbound lane. The wrong way operator is believed to have caused a four-car crash on Route 93 north prior to Freeport Street and got off the highway in the Neponset area.

State Police report Richard Saunders, 48, drove into Port Norfolk, where officers found him under a car on Taylor Street. They add nobody appeared to be seriously hurt in the crash. Saunders was taken to Boston Medical Center with minor injuries.

Man shot to death in Dorchester; first murder of the year

adamg — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:19:29 +0000

1/14/12 - 1:50 pm

Boston Police report a man in his 20s was shot shortly before 2 p.m. at 23 Trull St. He was transported to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The house is across the street from where Edward Andrade was fatally shot in the head last April.

Court: No means no even if it's just indicated by a head shake

adamg — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:03:00 +0000

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today an alleged Red Line groper's admission to police can't be used against him because he gave it after shaking his head no after his arrest when asked if he wanted to talk to police.