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Jury acquits in case of Wentworth student stabbed to death

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today found Etanis Cumba, 19, not guilty in the murder of Joseph Wilson, 20, on Oct. 2, 2005, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Prosecutors had alleged that Cumba crashed a Huntington Avenue party, got into a fight with Wilson and stabbed him several times in the chest.

Jurors deliberated for two days.

boston.com: Mother screams at suspect after acquittal.

Earlier this year, the DA's office charged an alleged accomplice of Cumba's with witness intimidation.

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I am glad to see that the state of Massachusetts continues to FAIL in its responsibility of puting these low life murdering rats behind bars where they belong. In this paticular trial, a confesion along with numerous letters and converstaions from jail about silencing witness' and removing evidence was not enough for the jury. Nor was the numerous witness testimony's or the strong evidence presented or even the fact that the accused was having witness' threatened in which T. YARDE was brought up on charges. But when the NOT GUILTY verdict was handed down, and the victims family's cries and moans for their lost son, all the defendent ETANIS CUMBA did, was turn around, laugh, and snicker at the pain the Wilson family was enduring to see their son's murderer set free once again. As Boston's crime rate, especially homicide/murder continues to sky-rocket, these rats whom are the lowest form of life on this planet, continue to be set free. Makes me feel very glad to be living in such a great state where we know JUSTICE is always served and now another murderer is set free on the streets again...

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Geesh, you guys are really hell-bent on showing the world exactly WHY we have a criminal justice system built on the presumption of innocence.

What next, a righteous lynch mob? Puhleeze.

Either two things happened here:

1) They had the wrong guy (and he isn't a murderer as you so smugly claim despite NOT having seen the evidence)

OR

2) the State couldn't prove that he WAS a murderer.

I almost hope that one of you gets falsely accused of a serious crime sometime. Maybe THEN you would learn. I'd even wager you were among the first to cry foul when the Duke/Nifong situation took hold, no?

Try thinking this out from both sides, with your brain this time. Go reread your junior high or high school civics book or get one from a library if you need a little help. This ain't Cuba.

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This being Suffolk County and all: Jury intimidation.

No, I have no inside (or any other) knowledge of the case, but it's not exactly an unknown phenomenon here. Although, to be honest, I'd lean toward 2 (again, not having any connection to the case and not having sat in the courtroom).

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if it is happening, why is it happening more often in Suffolk county than in other urban counties (Middlesex, Essex, etc) ?

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Here let me educate your brain on this case since you seem to know none of the facts(typical) and then we can talk about going to the library and borrowing a book on common sense which you seem to be lacking. Etanis Cumba is accused of stabbing Joseph A. Wilson at a college party in October 2005. Cumba, whom has a very violent wrap-sheet was 17 at the time of the murder. Such charges included possesion of a deadly weapon, assault on a police officer, numerous drug charges, oh and the sucker-punch line aggrevated assault with a deadly weapon. The Boston Police listened to their back-channel contacts for rumors of a stabbing in the area of Mission Hill at a college party, and guess who came up as a lead suspect for "bragging" about the killing, Etanis Cumba who by the way beared the street name "POKE". Then after further investigation the police found his alleged accomplice. At a sentencing hearing, the alleged accomplice was threatened by a T. Yarde, one of Etanis Cumba's known associates. He said to the accomplice "stop snitching" at which point he showed him the blade of a knife he pulled from his pants. T Yarde was then brought up on witness intimidation charges. Upon the arrest of Cumba, the boston police found him to be attempting to flee the country, with a new passport and airline arrangements. Now lets move on to Etanis Cumba from jail. In the trial, evidence was introduced about his letters and phone calls home from jail to his brother and mother about making sure the police don't find anything and getting all the "stuff" out of his room. In one conversation he told his mother in Spanish that if the police find anything in the house he is fuc*ed. Then he wrote numerous letters from jail making sure all the stories matched. When the police raided his mothers house they did not find any knives containing Joseph Wilson's blood, but found 3 other knives with OTHER PEOPLES BLOOD on them. Throughout the trial, Etanis Cumba snickered and laughed turning around to his little buddies in the rear of the courtroom. While they showed the Autopsy photos of Joseph Wilson's 7 stab wounds, Etanis Cumba laughed while members of the jury cried. Then after two days of deliberation, the jury passed down a Not Guilty Verdict and Joseph Wilson's mother screamed in agony and said "you killed my baby" "this isn't justice" and Etanis Cumba proceeded to laugh along with a few of his friends, something that the news papers wrongly reported, wow what a shocker. So now another violent offender is back on the streets and another young man is dead, a family devistated, and then there is you, not knowing the facts but seeming to believe this rat's innocense right off the bat, now let me say this to you. I hope YOU have a son murdered by some scum bag like Etanis Cumba and then you get to sit through 2 years of suffering and a gut-wrenching trial and watch your son's murderer walk out the door a free-man snickering and laughing on the way. Now before you tell me to use my brain, why don't you grow a heart and then learn some facts before opening your mouth.

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I didn't know any of the facts on this case until I read this past comment. When I searched for the case on google, I read about witness intimidation and juror intimidation on the last day of the trial. Then I watched a video of the victims parents describing what sounded like obvious juror intimidation as well as inappropriate court room behavior. So before the SWRLYGRRL says anymore, I think it would be a good idea to do some reading into the case before accusing people of not using their brains and being of poor intelligence. This case sounds like the typical Suffolk County Case, with little or no securtiy for the victims, witnesses, and even jurors. Because I do not know all the facts about the case I'm not going to say whether Mr. Cumba deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life, but I would not be surpirsed at all if this case and others like it have let a guilty man back on to the streets.

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The state failed to make a case to convince the jury - either because he was not the right guy OR because they couldn't get a jury to convict him.

Either way, that's our justice system. He wasn't found innocent, he was found "not guilty". Would you rather these things were summarily decided by judges or by mobs?

There is always possibility that he was railroaded to make a political statement about being tough on crime -another fine Suffolk county tradition (Newman Flannagan, etc) We also don't know how "factual" or "admissable" the previous poster's assertions are, or what the motives of those who provided that information might be. Heresay and circumstance are not sufficient in court even if they can be ranted into a blog as "proof". While witness and jury intimidation are real, so are "testalying" and incentives for testifying for the police.

IF you have a problem with "Suffolk County" and think this is jury intimidation (very possible) then get active. Is there a reason Suffolk can't trade trials with other courts? A reason why this guy couldn't be tried in Lowell or Worcester? I don't know if there are serious statutory hurdles or just turf issues. Suffolk is such a geographically small county the intimidation issues are obvious and predictable the courts would be better served by moving cases around to venues.

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The state created a strong probability that he was guilty, but not beyond reasonable doubt.

1) Cumba's past was not revealed to us at any time. We were not allowed to do outside research. All we knew was that this kid got arrested for mary j, and was suspected of this crime.

2) Witness One was a person who could've well committed the crime, and whose testimony of the events contradicted those of the party goers.

3) Witness Two was high on crack, weed and had drunk alcohol the night of the crime. His story also contradicts that of the party goers. He did not actual witness the crime happening.

4) Nate Yarde and his intimidation was not mentioned at any time during this trial

5) The letters, the whole 3 we were shown, had multiple interpretations. We read them MULTIPLE times, and had the same conclusions that they ambiguous. They could be a scared kid, or story coordination.

6) To us, the phone calls indicated he had drugs. Why would his brother get everything out of his room and LEAVE KNIVES BEHIND? And, where was this BLOOD OF OTHER PEOPLE ON THESE KNIVES? THIS WAS NOT ADMITTED INTO EVIDENCE.

The BURDEN OF PROOF lies on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. There was NO physical evidence. There was NO admittance of his past, or prior incidents.

All we had to work with is a kid, who we DID NOT SEE LAUGHING ONCE, who was accused of a crime. Their evidence against him was the word of two individuals with dubious credibility, and some letters and PIECES of phone calls. I don't know where you got all of your "evidence" but these were things that we weren't told. We were picked BECAUSE we were ignorant of the case so that we could judge him SOLELY for the charges at hand.

We did the best we could, with the information we were given.

If this kid is who you say he is, he will probably end up dead by 25.

And given what I know about my co-jurors... Jury intimidation... I would have to say that most definitely did not happened. What happened was a shakey case that possibly let another murder go free.

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but the defendent was sobbing when we walked out of the court room. What did he do? Start heckling as soon as we walked out?

You seem to be very biased in this case, and very emotionally attached.

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It certainly fills in the story. I can't imagine it was easy serving on a jury like that.

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This justice system is a fucking joke. There is absolutely no way that no one knows what happened. He was stabbed at a PARTY. This is bullshit and it proves why there is nothing being done about crime. Nothing at all. You have about a 75% chance with getting away with murder in Brockton and Boston which are pretty good odds for anything. FUCKING JOKE! I wish i can slap the fucking dummys that let that kid go.

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Oh thank you to the state of MASSACHUSETTS for letting another murderer go free. You guys are doing a great job at tearing this state and country apart. And to think you expect me to feel safe in your streets is disgusting, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

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I don't know the details but that was probably a Suffolk county jury. I am a Suffolk County resident so I shoulder the blame... but my friends in Berkshire County shouldn't have to deal with your wrath.

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I can't belive this F*uck got not guilty!!!! HE will get his one day what goes around comes around... god will punish him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't even imagine what Joes family is going through!

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how are some of you..SURE it was ETANIS CUMBA..were u in da party..NO..ohh just becuz da police gets HIM he did it..yall need to no dat he might not be a perfect guy..but did any of u see him do it NO..yall dcide to beleive a fu**king crack head...nd some PARTS of phone calls and letters.WHY not read or hear the WHOLE hing?.I'm not On NOBODYS SIDE..but think this case is difficult.nd confusing..so who ever did dis will PAY at a certain time which could be years from now..maybe dat person's death may be WORSE den da victims..

BUt ppl STOP talkin SH** becuz U only no what u heard..u Didn't SEE ANYTHING

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i agree... sweetheart i was at the party and i did see it happenand joe was one of my good friends - you should try shutting your mouth and maybe take an english class..."that" does not have a 'd' in it.

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First of all, who do you people think you are calling Etanis a murderer??? Did ANY of you watch while he stabbed Joseph Wilson?? I didn’t think so.

And second of all, what are you talking about reading the facts?? All you are going by is what the media is telling you! I don’t think ANY of you should be opening your mouth and bad mouthing the defendant OR the states judicial system. Maybe if you had tried sitting there every day during the trial and listening to what all the witnesses were saying and the looks on their faces and movements. Then you might be eligible to an informed opinion.

What gives you the right to call Etanis a “low life murdering rat” or a “scum bag”??? And you say that they had a confession, no they didn’t. Etanis never confessed to anything, he pleaded not guilty you idiots! And the idiotic statement that they found 3 knives with other peoples blood on them is a lie too! That never happened. Why would his brother clean out his room and leave the knices? Come on now! Another heinous lie is the statement that Etanis laughed and snickered when he got “not guilty”. Come on now this innocent guys life was on the line! He could have been put away for the rest of his life without the possibility or parole for a crime he didn’t commit, of course hearing this verdict was going to make him happy. But at no point was he happy that Joseph’s death didn’t get justice.

If any of who had sat there during the trial you would have seen that the witnesses were iffy, they didn’t even know what the hell they were saying and contradicted the story several times. You also would have seen that the person who most likely did the crime was on the stand as well. And by the way he acted and the way he spoke you would have almost bet that he was the murderer.

So Etanis was set free and that’s that. He did not commit the crime, and the state was not able to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Just because he was arrested for it doesn’t mean that he did it. He was just the one that had to waste 16 months of his life sitting in a cell for a crime he didn’t commit. Now who’s the scum? The guy that was proven innocent of the crime or the idiots like you who are ready to accuse him because you have nothing better to do? I suggest you all get a life and stop commenting on a trial you know nothing about. Idiots!

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I was a good friend of Etanis Cumba and the case was a very serious case. The day that he was arrested he left my house in which he was going to his house in Mission Park where he lived to get something and back to my house. He never came back and later i find out he was arrested for a murder. I know Etanis Cumba very well. I believe he either did it or one of his friends did it and the reason I say that is cause he cant "BS" me and tell me he aint no gang member. I wasnt there at the crime scene but I know he is a Top Blood member. He wears his Blood bandana in Huntington ave when ever he feels like showing off his colors. I say this because he is known in Mission Park as one of the most toughest kid. From a little league baseball player as a pitcher to being a Top Blood member that is a big switch. Im not going to say to much because i dont want to be known as a "snitch" or have Nate try to intimidate me with his little Knife. To me the young adults are trying to make a name for themselves in Mission Park as their hood but they need to understand that Mission Park can never get as deadly as Dorchester or Mattapan there are to many cameras in Mission Park. This is another quick remark for another boy of mines from Mission Park who is serving 18 years for man slaughter "Scrooge" you will be home by 35 years of age take care of yourself and be strong.

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