The MetroWest Daily News, May 12, 2012
MARLBOROUGH — An initiative that will employ students over the summer is the “first program of its kind” for the city, Mayor Arthur Vigeant said yesterday.
The Youth Employment Program marks a public-private partnership among the city, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the nonprofit organization Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce, and local businesses.
“Our young people are our future,” said Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, who joined Vigeant in a press conference at City Hall. “It’s the absolute best investment we can make.” (more…)
By The Associated Press, May 10, 2012
WOBURN — Prosecutors in Middlesex County plan to give drug collection bins to 29 local police chiefs to enable residents to safely dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs.
The bins are part of an effort to curb drug abuse by young people. Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone bought the bins through drug forfeiture funds, which can be used for drug rehabilitation, drug education and other anti-drug efforts.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says an estimated 2.4 million Americans misused prescription drugs for the first time within the past year. About a third of those users were between ages 12 and 17.
On Friday, Leone plans to give the new bins to police chiefs from Littleton, Burlington, Woburn, Lincoln, Belmont, Wilmington, Pepperell and Reading.
The Boston Globe, April 5, 2012
For the fifth year, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. is advising parents and students of the dangers of drinking and driving during prom and graduation season.
“Prom and commencement season should be a time of celebration,” Leone said in a statement. “But sadly, every year around this time, our office confronts tragedies because young people make bad decisions to drive impaired or to get in a car with an impaired driver.”
Car crashes are a leading killer of youth age 15 to 20, Leone said. “We are urging young people and those who care for them to pay particular attention to choices that impact themselves and others at this time, avoiding negative behavior which can result in tragic consequences.” (more…)
The Newton Patch, April 3, 2012
NEWTON— The Newton Marriott was buzzing last night for the Riverside Community Care Center’s annual appreciation evening, where Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone was honored with an award.
According to a press release issued yesterday, Leone was the recipient of the Riverside Center’s “Friend Award”, an honor given to him for his efforts to combat community and family violence.
“I am honored to be recognized by a public service organization that works hard every day to better the lives of citizens in our communities and promotes violence prevention,” Leone said in the press release. “Law enforcement is just one tool that we use when it comes to addressing family violence and it is through working together as an engaged community of public and private stakeholders that we are best able to break down the barriers against disclosure that all too often prevent victims of abuse from finding safety.” (more…)
The MetroWest Daily News, March 17, 2012
MARLBOROUGH — Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone spoke today to about 75 people at the Youth Summit at the Marlborough Courtyard Marriott. The summit was organized by the Young Adult Initiative Board of the Partnership for a Skilled Workforce Inc. The purpose of the summit was to bring MetroWest community leaders together to try to find a way to provide job opportunities to local youth.
The Lowell Sun, March 9, 2012
LOWELL — To reduce the occurrence of domestic violence and save lives, City Manager Bernie Lynch, District Attorney Gerard Leone and Superintendent Ken Lavallee unveiled a newly enhanced prevention and protection program Thursday, coinciding with White Ribbon Day.
Leone was joined by Lavallee and Lynch in announcing the new programmatic approach to combating domestic violence at an event honoring the White Ribbon Day Campaign, an effort that began in Canada in 1991, attempting to inform young men about the serious issues of violence against women. The campaign was created in response to the murders of 14 female college students by a male gunman at the University of Montreal in 1989.
The new “Lowell-centric” anti-domestic violence program “aims to reduce and prevent domestic violence homicides, and hold offenders accountable by refining and tightening existing relationships between police, courts and community providers in Greater Lowell,” Leone said. “It means bringing partners together, working on the front end to prevent tragedies before they occur.” (more…)
The MetroWest Daily News, February 2, 2012
FRAMINGHAM — When future Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone worked for a security consulting firm following the Sept. 11 attacks, clients consistently ranked one worry ahead of even terrorism: workplace violence. Describing a rise in such cases across both the county and the nation, Leone has formed a special initiative to meet the challenge.
Since taking office, he’s handled a few high-profile examples, like Clyde Howard — the man who shot and killed a co-worker at a Cambridge pool supply company in 2009 after a long-running feud.
Then there was James Brescia, who had Sudbury resident Edward Schiller killed at work in 2006 because Schiller was dating his ex-wife — an example of how personal lives can spill into the workplace, affecting both the victim and traumatizing colleagues. But not all cases are of the headline-grabbing, crazed gunman variety, Leone told a crowd of social service agency heads in Framingham Wednesday. He’s taken a broader look at the problem and at prevention, he said. “You have to identify unacceptable behaviors when you see them,” he said. “That’s what you have to focus on.” (more…)
The Boston Globe, January 24, 2012
College hockey coaches and captains are joining the state’s fifth annual White Ribbon Day Campaign aimed at ending violence against women and children by discussing the importance of men in the movement. Players, coaches, and athletic directors from the four hockey teams that compete in the annual Beanpot Tournament–Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University–joined state officials and local district attorneys at the State House on Monday to encourage men and boys speak out against sexual assault and domestic violence
“I know firsthand how effective it is to involve young men as part of our collective voice to address the very real problem of domestic and teen dating violence, and the White Ribbon Campaign works to help ensure that men are actively engaged in reinforcing a proactive approach to maintaining a positive climate of healthy relationships.” Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, a former chairman of the campaign, said in a statement. (more…)
DA Leone Reminds Residents To Be Aware Of Lottery Scams
In the wake of a recent conviction where a Kansas man was found guilty on charges that he stole nearly $200,000 from an elderly victim in Arlington through a foreign telephone lottery scam, DA Leone continues to warn residents, particularly seniors, about the dangers of lottery scams.
Typically, the lottery scam is conducted by a third party who contacts a victim by phone or email and convinces the victim that they have won a lottery, which is often foreign. The party than tells the victim that before they can claim their winnings, they must first pay taxes on the prize money, which is usually in the tens of thousands of dollars. After the victim mails the check, the subject informs the resident they should wait until a fictitious date, when the supposed “winnings” will be awarded. The winnings are never sent. (more…)
The Westford Eagle, November 24, 2011
Cosmetology students at the Nashoba Valley Technical High School got a lesson in hard knocks Thursday when they welcomed a special group of clients to their school salon. Victims of domestic violence got haircuts and manicures from the students, took home slightly worn donated business outfits and were treated to lunch through an annual program sponsored by the Middlesex District Attorney’s office and the high school.
Each year cosmetology students at Nashoba Tech are taught how to recognize the signs of domestic abuse through Middlesex DA Gerry Leone’s “Cut it Out” program. A salon chair is a conduit for a confidential revelation by a victim, according to Leone. (more…)
The MetroWest Daily News, November 5, 2011
HOPKINTON — Fraud targeting the elderly is on the rise because of the weak economy, speakers at a town event for seniors reported yesterday, with everyone susceptible to momentarily letting down their guard.
Take the mother-in-law of Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland. The 84-year-old answered her phone and was eventually worn down by a caller looking to “verify” her bank account information.
“She said, ‘I’ve never done this before. I can’t believe I did it,”‘ Spilka told the crowd of three dozen people. “They are very convincing.”
Spilka spoke at a Hopkinton Senior Center event sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, that included advice from Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone and his staff, local police, a banker and members of a regional watchdog group. It was meant to help seniors avoid fraud and abuse, and to know where to turn when it happens.
Between 2005 and 2008, reports of elder abuse grew 30 percent, and confirmed cases 19 percent, according to recent figures from the state Office of Elder Affairs.
Before the meeting, Leone said the increases were likely driven both by more frequent reporting and greater awareness, although many cases still go unreported. Victims may fear retaliation from caregivers or being forced into nursing homes. Sometimes victims do not know who to call.
“When you see an economy that has tanked like ours has in the last few years, you see more fraud,” said Leone, a Hopkinton resident.
Leone and other speakers acknowledged that many seniors like to be self-reliant, and they spent their early years in an era when trust was more common and many left their doors unlocked. (more…)
The Melrose Free Press, October 26, 2011
Melrose, Mass. — For the 16th year, residents of Melrose and other nearby communities gathered for the annual Walk and Candlelight Vigil.
Sponsored by Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV), the 2-mile walk on Sunday traveled around Ell Pond. Walk teams included participants from local schools, businesses, nonprofits and others. The walk is MAAV’s largest annual fundraiser — last year’s walk raised nearly $30,000. Proceeds from the event go toward the organization’s prevention and intervention initiatives throughout the community and in the Melrose Public Schools. MAAV works to reduce bullying, teen dating abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault. Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone received MAAV’s first Advocacy in Action Award. Leone served as an honorary co-chairman of the walk this year, with Diane Patrick, wife of Gov. Deval Patrick.
“MAAV is an important partner in our efforts to prevent instances of domestic violence and to promote healthy relationships, particularly with young people,” Leone said in a statement. “I am pleased to be a co-chair of MAAV’s 16th annual Walk and Vigil and honored to be serving alongside First Lady Diane Patrick, who has committed so much of her time and effort to the issue of domestic violence. We will continue to do all we can to break down the barriers … that all too often hinder the disclosure of domestic violence, while promoting the benefits of increased awareness within our communities.” (more…)
The Somerville Patch, October 10, 2011
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone was in Somerville Friday to donate more than 100 forfeited cell phones—some of them dinosaurs of the mobile phone world—to RESPOND, a domestic violence shelter based in Union Square. Law enforcement officials seized the phones as evidence or as the “ill-gotten gains” from criminal activity, explained Leone. Some of the phones, by the look of them, had been sitting in evidence for years, and there was at least one PalmPilot in the mix.
RESPOND, in turn, will sell the donated cell phones to Shelter Alliance, an organization based in Florida that refurbishes and recycles cell phones to help nonprofits raise money.
Each phone will fetch a different price. According to Shelter Alliance’s website, donated cell phones earn anywhere from $0.50 to $30, depending on the type of phone. Modern phones, which earn more, are refurbished and resold. Older phones, which can’t be refurbished, are recycled for their components and materials. (more…)
The Boston Globe, September 5, 2011
A series of killings of gay men and women by their partners has alarmed advocates, who say the deaths reflect a serious problem of domestic violence in the gay community that draws scant attention from many in law enforcement. Since 2010, there have been seven killings as a result of domestic violence, a sharp increase from prior years when advocates reported one to three such homicides. Last month, a 47-year-old man was accused of stabbing his boyfriend then burying his body beneath a porch in Winthrop.
The Lowell Sun, June 23, 2011
Money that once belonged to convicted drug offenders in Middlesex County will now fund anti-drug training for eight teen leaders in Lowell. Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone recently announced a $10,400 donation in drug forfeiture funds to the Lowell Community Health Center’s Teen Coalition. The DA is authorized to use up to 10 percent of these funds, which fluctuate each year, to benefit drug-use prevention and crime-watch initiatives.
The MetroWest Daily News, May 15, 2011
The auditorium at Natick High School Friday morning was silent. Students from the junior and senior classes filled the seats, but none of them so much as shifted their weight for what seemed like hours.
On the stage, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone was telling the students about teenagers of the same age who didn’t make the right decision about drinking or taking drugs – with fatal consequences.
“We try to put it on a level that they will appreciate,” said Leone. “The reason we are here is not to lecture. We just want to impress upon them that this is real life. These things happen.”
The Concord Patch, March 25, 2011
Domestic violence, in its many forms, was squarely on the table at Thursday’s Appreciation Breakfast for the Domestic Violence Services Network. The parish hall at the First Parish Church was filled to capacity with police officers from the 11 towns that participate in the partnership between community and law enforcement, as well as scores of volunteers that man phones and offer advocacy to victims of abuse.
The MetroWest Daily News, January 25, 2011
Three state lawmakers and Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone filed legislation last week aimed at better addressing domestic violence.
State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, and state Reps. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, and Kate Hogan, D-Stow, said they worked with Leone on a package of three bills.
The first would allow the release of a victim’s body to family members in cases of domestic violence murder, excluding any next of kin charged with the murder.
The measure was prompted in part by the murder of Heather Alleyne, 19, of Framingham, in August. Her husband, Kyle, is charged with her murder, but had opposed releasing her body to her family. The bill also would prevent a person charged with murder from accessing a family victim’s estate to pay for their legal defense.
The Melrose Patch, October 13, 2010
It’s an event no one in Winchester will soon forget. The quadruple homicide along Windsong Lane has received national coverage, but Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone has sensed a troubling trend. And while the case of Thomas Mortimer, IV, who faces four charges of first-degree murder in connection with the quadruple homicide in his family’s Winchester home, is an extreme case, Leone is concerned with the increase in domestic violence.
Mortimer is accused of murdering his wife, 41-year-old Laura Stone Mortimer, her two children, 2-year-old Charlotte Mortimer and 4-year-old Thomas Mortimer V, and Laura’s mother, 64-year-old Ragna Ellen Stone. Leone believes this case is just another example of how domestic violence is becoming an increasing problem across the state and specifically in Middlesex County. With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Leone has organized a North/Suburban Domestic Violence Roundtable to discuss the situation.
“This will hopefully prevent tragedies like what we had in Winchester,” Leone said at last week’s installment, “Which, frankly, was the worst crime scene I’ve ever walked through in my 18 years. If we focus on solving problems on the front-end, then it could minimize the violence at the back-end.”
By Julia Spitz, The MetroWest Daily News, October 10, 2010
A Milford High School student was arrested last week after he allegedly threatened to shoot classmates. A Newton North High School senior and a 2010 graduate have been charged with murder in connection with a Waltham man’s shooting 10 days ago. A Waltham teenager was stabbed to death in the parking lot of Regis College in Weston a week before the fatal shooting. That was the same weekend a Boston College student was hospitalized with stab wounds and an off-campus Seton Hall University party turned fatal in New Jersey.
Last year, Harvard University was the site of a murder. Last week, Medway High School was the site of a police search after a tip that students may have been distributing prescription drugs. Unfortunately, “None of this surprises me,” said Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone.
“I think it’s natural for people to be surprised when incidents like these occur in an affluent, suburban community,” he said, but the truth is, they can and do happen everywhere.
“I find young people have a more cavalier attitude toward crime than they’ve ever had,” said Leone, and “less respect for human life.” Past generations of teens and young adults made their fair share of bad decisions, as most any of us can attest, but “it wasn’t to the extent or degree it is now.”
“They’re not really drawing the boundaries between a bad choice and a really seriously bad choice” that has life-altering consequences, Leone said. “I attribute that to the numbing of our young people.” There seem to be many factors, he said. “When you consider how young people interact, communicate” through immediate yet impersonal means such as texting or social networking sites, “It’s detachment,” and with detachment, it’s “easier to be meaner.” The prevalence of gang culture in our society – “I think they get surrounded by it.” In some ways, the stakes for mistakes have never been higher.
The Lowell Sun, August 13, 2010
BOSTON — At Jose Pagan’s “sexually dangerous person” trial two years ago, the jury was told of the 56-year-old Lowell man’s 30-year criminal record, which included three instances of molesting young girls. The jury’s verdict: Pagan was a sexually dangerous person.
Under the “SDP” statute, Pagan, who had completed his prison sentence for his latest crime, was sent to Bridgewater State Hospital under a civil commitment to be kept behind bars until he is deemed no longer dangerous — possibly a lifetime sentence. But Pagan may have been a free man in 2008 if he had opted for a jury-waived or bench trial before a judge without a jury.
Since 2007, when Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone took office, there have been a dozen “SDP” trials in Middlesex County. Of the seven SDP jury trials, all seven offenders were found to be dangerous. In the remaining five jury-waived trials, judges found only two to be dangerous, and three sex offenders were released into the community.
Under the old SDP law, the sex offender had the sole power to decide whether to be tried before a judge or a jury. That power has now been wrenched away from the sex offender and placed in prosecutors’ hands.
This week an amended SDP law — championed by Leone, state Sen. Steven Baddour, D-Methuen, state Rep. Charley Murphy, D-Burlington, and Jane Doe Inc. — went into effect, giving prosecutors the right to demand that a case be heard before a jury. “This is a priority area for me, focusing on unique offenders, because they are the worst predators who prey on the most vulnerable,” Leone said. “This is a common-sense bill that empowers members of the community with a greater voice in determining whether convicted sex offenders should be allowed back into their neighborhoods.”
The Cambridge Chronicle, July 2, 2010
Cambridge — Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone was honored last night as the recipient of the first ever Transition House Open Door Award for his dedication to domestic violence prevention efforts.
Transition House, Inc. held their annual meeting last night at the Anthenaeum House in Cambridge. Community leaders and members of the public were in attendance as they gave DA Leone the award and celebrated the shelter’s 35th anniversary. Transition House also launched their new Green Door Campaign, an effort to raise funds to turn their Emergency Shelter into an energy efficient facility. (more…)
The Boston Globe, June 21, 2010
About 50 social workers and police officers gathered Thursday at Newton-Wellesley Hospital for a seminar on the subject organized by the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone.
“There are so many barriers to disclosure and conventional ways of thinking about abuse and violence, we want to help change the mindset of the people who see it and prosecute it,’’ said Leone in a telephone interview.
Approximately 85 percent of women seeking shelter from domestic violence in the state also reported pet abuse in their home. About 50 percent of children in shelter care reported protecting household pets from harm, and as many as 25 percent of domestic violence victims have reported that concern for their pets was a factor in their decision to leave or stay with an alleged batterer, according to Leone’s office.
The Somerville Journal, April 2, 2010
Somerville — Clyde Howard is accused of fatally shooting his co-worker Maurice Ricketts outside their place of employment at Baystate Pool Supplies in Cambridge. According to authorities, the shooting followed an angry verbal confrontation between the two co-workers two months before the shooting.
Following several instances of workplace violence that have led to deaths, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone is speaking to businesses throughout the county on workplace violence prevention.
“Most of us think of our workplace as a home away from home, but there have been several serious and fatal workplace violence incidents throughout the county in recent months,” Leone said. “One thing that we have learned from such incidents is the importance of prevention efforts and having policies and plans in place should such situations arise. By setting specific policies, developing and implementing plans and training staff, businesses can take critical steps towards protecting their co-workers. Everyone deserves a safe environment to work in, day-in and day-out.”
The Cambridge Chronicle- January 19, 2010
Cambridge — Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, DCF Commissioner Angelo McClain, Police Chiefs from Arlington, Belmont and Cambridge, The Guidance Center, and domestic violence service providers will announce a new program aimed at preventing domestic violence homicides on Thursday.
The program, titled the Cambridge Arlington Belmont High Risk Assessment and Response Team (CAB HART), aims to reduce and prevent domestic violence homicides and hold offenders accountable by refining and tightening existing relationships between police, courts, and community providers in the cities of Cambridge, Arlington, and Belmont.
The Boston Herald- December 21, 2009
A highly educated and accomplished Lincoln couple married 63 years found out months before they succumbed to the ravages of old age that their longtime personal assistant had been stealing money from them.
“These people were smart, alert, engaged elders,” said Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.
Leone founded the Safety and Protection For Every Elder Resident (SPEER) task force last year to combat the increasing number of economic predators preying on seniors in the suburbs.
Boston Globe West – October 29, 2009
The violent deaths of William and Jane Wyman of Newton last week, allegedly by his hand in the home they shared for decades, shows the need for more communication and education about domestic violence, said several local social workers and advocates.
Police believe William Wyman killed his wife of 65 years early Oct. 20 and then stabbed himself to death. He left a note describing what he had done, and notified a relative about it before the apparent murder-suicide, authorities said.
Lowell Sun – October 28, 2009
WESTFORD — Glittergrrl sends an instant message to Popcornisamazing “just to let her know” people were talking about her complexion.
It was a dig at one of the most important things to many high-school girls — their appearance.
However, Glittergrrl disguises it as an act of concern for her friend, justifying her previous text with another stating, “I would want to know if people were talking about me behind my back. Don’t be so dramatic.”
Lowell Sun – October 28, 2009
BOSTON — The county’s top prosecutor thinks juries, not judges, should decide whether Level 3 sex offenders are released back into the community or sent away to a state hospital.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone testified yesterday in favor of a piece of legislation that would change the way the court system handles convicted sex offenders who are scheduled to be released from prison.
The bill, filed by Sen. Steven Baddour, D-Methuen, and co-sponsored by a number of local lawmakers, would allow the state to request a jury trial to determine whether a sex offender still poses a risk to the public. Under current law, the predator has the power to forgo a jury trial and request that a dangerousness hearing be heard only by a judge.
Boston Herald – October 27, 2009
Hoping to hinder the David Flavells of the world from running amok, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone Jr. will today appeal to legislators to strip serial perverts of the last word on whether a judge or jury should decide if they’re fit to live among us.
Boston Globe – October 26, 2009
Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. plans to urge lawmakers today to change the state law for civilly committing individuals as sexual dangerous persons, five days after a convicted sex offender freed from jail over prosecutors’ objections allegedly attacked a woman at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Leone, in a previously scheduled appearance before a legislative committee, intends to promote a bill he helped craft that would make it more likely that juries rather than judges would decide whether to indefinitely commit sex offenders to a treatment center. He says Middlesex judges are more lenient than juries in such cases, which involve keeping offenders locked up after they have completed their prison sentences.
MetroWest Daily News – October 22, 2009
In the global cat-and-mouse game of terrorism, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists is the charge that makes yesterday’s arrest of Tarek Mehanna a resounding victory for the government, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said last night .
It means, Leone said, “he only got so far as to agree with others to do something and that … is the best part. That means they couldn’t carry it out.”
When he was a federal prosecutor, Leone convicted Richard Reid, the first-admitted al Qaeda terrorist to be convicted in the United States. Known as the “Shoe Bomber,” Reid tried to blow up a plane carrying 180 passengers.
Bedford Transcript – October 9, 2009
Bedford, Mass. – The Bedford Rotary Club had a visit last week from the District Attorney (DA) of Middlesex County, Gerry Leone.
No, the Rotarians weren’t in trouble with the law. Rather, Leone appeared at the behest of his former law school classmate Bedford Rotarian Terrance Parker.
Boston Globe North – September 22, 2009
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone swung by Andrews Middle School last Friday to see the Community Based Justice (CBJ) Program – a countywide school safety initiative – in action. He gave the joint effort at Andrews and McGlynn middle schools high marks, roughly three months after its launch.
“It’s working very well,” Leone said, adding that the city is building off of a successful CBJ program at the high school, thanks in large part to the leadership of Mayor Michael McGlynn and Superintendent Roy Belson.
The program launched at several Middlesex County high schools in 1991 under then-District Attorney Thomas F. Reilly, with Leone directing operations as a young prosecutor.
While the program has expanded to include all county high schools and, beginning in 2007, most middle schools, the basic model remains the same. Assistant district attorneys meet regularly with school resource officers, principals, and social service providers to identify students who have recently been charged with crimes, especially violent acts.
School officials have several options after the meetings – which are confidential – including suspension, separation from other students, and other sanctions. While parents of the accused are not present at meetings, officials bring them up to speed soon after, according to Leone.
He noted that some students are steered toward alternative learning programs – which vary from district to district – to meet their needs and protect the well-being of their peers.
As the middle school program moves forward, Leone wants to focus on cyber safety and bullying. In a statement, his office cited a 2005-2006 Globe analysis finding that 53 percent of all instances of school violence in the state occurred in middle schools, compared to 47 percent in high schools. Nationwide, 94 percent of all middle schools reported violent incidents in 2006, up from 87 percent in 2000, according to the US Department of Education.
To combat this trend, Leone has directed every participating school to assemble a Threat Assessment Team of staff members who can identify possible trouble spots.
Leone called the CBJ program – which operates at no additional cost to taxpayers, since law enforcement and school personnel meet during regular hours – a national standout among school safety initiatives.
“I don’t know of a single program that’s as comprehensive,” he said.
Cape Cod Times editorial – July 27, 2009
Ten years ago this month, Melissa Gosule, a vibrant 27-year-old school teacher, died a brutal death somewhere between a Cape Cod Canal parking lot and a Pembroke woods. Her murderer, Michael Gentile, from whom she had innocently accepted a ride because her car had broken down, had 27 felony convictions for which he had served less than two years behind bars.
Gentile was quickly found and convicted; he now serves a life sentence without possibility of parole. For 10 years, the Gosule family and state Rep. Bradford Hill, R-Ipswich, have tried to patch the gaps in the state’s habitual offender laws that allow predators like Gentile to continue their crime waves. (more…)
Boston Herald – July 17, 2009
The steadfast family of a Bay State teacher slain in cold blood by a career criminal a decade ago once again urged state legislators yesterday to pass a tough new three-strikes law they’ve championed in the years since her death.
At a press conference in the Garden of Peace, where a stone is laid in her memory, Melissa Gosule’s family called for the passage of “Melissa’s Bill” to assure harsher sentences for the most dangerous repeat offenders. (more…)
Boston Globe – July 15, 2009
Thirty-seven red, blue, and green balloons sailed across a clear sky above Beacon Hill yesterday afternoon, 10 of them representing the years that Melissa Gosule would have and should have lived.
The 27-year-old teacher from Jamaica Plain was raped and fatally stabbed in July 1999 by Michael P. Gentile, a man who had offered her a ride home when her car broke down on Cape Cod and who had been convicted of at least 20 previous violent crimes.
Yesterday marked another step in the Gosule family’s 10-year struggle to rally legislative support for Melissa’s Bill, which seeks to impose harsher penalties on habitual offenders like Gentile. (more…)
Boston Globe – June 19, 2009
The state’s highest court plans to review the constitutionality of a recently challenged state law that requires gun owners to lock their weapons, making it the first test in Massachusetts of a landmark US Supreme Court ruling that Americans have the constitutional right to own guns and stow them as they see fit.
The SJC decided to review the law less than a year after a Lowell District Court judge dismissed firearms charges against a Billerica man whose handicapped son was accused of shooting a BB gun at a neighbor and who then showed police officers where his father kept other unlocked weapons. (more…)
Boston Globe – June 5, 2009
MALDEN – Amanda Rogers saw only the glitz in Hollywood stars’ lives.
So when she heard media reports that the 19-year-old singer and songwriter Chris Brown had allegedly beaten his 20-year-old girlfriend, Rihanna, in a speeding vehicle, she was shocked.
“Celebrity couples are so glamorous,” she said at Malden High School yesterday, where she was viewing student-made films on teen relationship violence. “Even when they divorce, it’s usually because someone cheated on someone else. You never see the violent side of Hollywood.” (more…)
Boston Globe Editorial – May 7, 2009
MANDATORY MINIMUM sentences for nonviolent drug crimes don’t prompt offenders to clean up their acts. But they do pick the pockets of taxpayers, who cover the $47,000 annual cost of holding an inmate in state prison. Today, the Patrick administration is taking a sensible step to address this imbalance in the criminal justice system.
Boston Herald – May 7, 2009
Five days before her 15th birthday, Melanie Melanson went missing in the woods of Woburn two decades ago.
Yesterday, authorities offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of the body of the Woburn high school freshman.
MetroWest Daily News – May 1, 2009
NATICK — Almost 200 girls went to the mall yesterday to pick up a few essentials: A shot of confidence and tips on dealing with bullies.
“It was pretty cool. It had pretty good advice,” said Mary Bethany Moody, an 11-year-old from Brookline who attended the afternoon session with Elizabeth, her Revolutionary Era American Girl doll.
“It was good. It was fun,” said Julianna Leone, 11, whose father, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone was the afternoon’s guest speaker.
Woburn Advocate – April 30, 2009
Woburn, MA - Twenty-six high school students who may some day direct the workings of city government got to try their hand at it Tuesday with the help of those who already do.
Woburn’s 56th annual Student Government Day brought the students from Woburn Memorial High School to City Hall where they participated in a mock City Council Finance Committee meeting with their real-life counterparts. Acting as city department heads and sitting in the council chambers, they presented fiscal year 2010 budget requests to the committee for discussion.
MetroWest Daily News – April 2, 2009
WOBURN — The Middlesex District Attorney’s office announced a new initiative today where high school students will produce their own public service announcement videos about teen dating violence.
The new program is co-sponsored by the district attorney’s office, Middlesex Partnerships for Youth Inc., and REACH Beyond Domestic Violence.
MetroWest Daily News – March 21, 2009
A year ago, victims of domestic abuse seeking to file an extension on a restraining order had to hire a lawyer or face the judge and batterer alone.
Now, a program out of Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone’s office is helping provide legal assistance for free. (more…)
MetroWest Daily News – March 2, 2009
Now in the third year of his four-year term, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said he has made a start, at least, on the priorities he set when he ran for the office.
New initiatives to keep youths out of the criminal justice system and to reach out to minority communities in his district are some of his goals, in addition to the endless task of prosecuting cases.
(more…)
Bay Windows – Feb 5, 2009
At least two high-profile same-sex domestic violence incidents made headlines last year. In April Nicole Chuminski, 25, allegedly set fire to her girlfriend Anna Reisopoulos’ South Boston home, killing her two children, ages 14 and 2. In July Sandra Howes was arrested by police at gunpoint after allegedly beating her girlfriend while speeding down Route 93 in her Honda Civic. Yet while same-sex domestic violence incidents have made for splashy headlines in the mainstream press, the resources for victims of those incidents are few and far between.
To help remedy that situation Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone held a roundtable discussion on same-sex domestic violence at Waltham District Court Feb. 3, which drew a crowd of about 40 local police officers, domestic violence service providers, prosecutors and victim-witness advocates. (more…)
Daily News Tribune – February 4, 2009
WALTHAM — In a room filled with social workers, law enforcement and advocates, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone yesterday stressed the need to draw attention to domestic violence in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
According to Jane Doe Inc., one in four gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people are battered by a partner at some point in their life. (more…)
Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise – January 16, 2009
TOWNSEND — Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. is trying to expand the Community Based Justice program from high schools into middle schools.
Leone traveled to Townsend on Thursday morning to meet with school and police officials from Townsend, Ashby, Pepperell, Groton and Dunstable about the program, or CBJ.
The program brings together school and police officials, along with prosecutors from Leone’s office, to deal with juveniles in trouble, Leone said. (more…)
Beacon Villager – January 9, 2009
Maynard – Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone was at Maynard High School Wednesday to participate in the school’s monthly Community Based Justice (CBJ) meeting.
Established in the early 1990s by then-District Attorney Thomas Reilly, CBJ is a program that brings together school personnel, public safety officials and social service providers in order to identify who may be at risk for violent activity and help prevent such tendencies from developing.
Lowell Sun – December 29, 2008
LOWELL — After a two-week trial and two days of deliberations, Jerry Meas heard the jury’s verdict that would send the 24-year-old Lowell man to prison for the rest of his life.
Earlier this month, the Lowell Superior Court jury convicted the notorious gang member in the June 13, 2006, slaying of Bonla Dy, of Chelsea, outside a 7-Eleven convenience store on Chelmsford Street. The motivation behind the slaying? Dy was wearing red, a rival gang’s colors.
The conviction capped a strong, two-year record of Lowell homicide prosecutions by Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone — a conviction rate of 94 percent. (more…)
Boston Business Journal – November 20, 2008
The Middlesex District Attorney’s office is warning small businesses to be on the lookout for employee theft and embezzlement as the economy shifts into low gear.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone met with business leaders in the Malden Chamber of Commerce Wednesday to offer suggestions of how businesses can protect themselves. (more…)
The Boston Globe – October 22, 2008
She held a tissue and kept her voice steady as she sat in a Cambridge courtroom, where she was trying to persuade a judge to continue the restraining order against her husband.
But when his lawyer rose and repeatedly asked her the same question, forcing her to admit that her husband had financially supported her children, she burst into tears. (more…)
The Boston Globe – October 9, 2008
Crimes against senior citizens are on the rise, and officials in Middlesex County and state offices have started a special initiative to stem the tide of elder care abuse.
The Leaders in Elder Abuse Prevention, or LEAPS, initiative was launched Friday in Medford to bring together the agencies that handle cases of elderly abuse by caregivers. The hope is LEAPS will give senior citizens an easier way to prevent abuse and to report abuse when it does happen. (more…)
Exhibit A – October 7, 2008
Daniel J. Bennett still remembers the day he was late for a basketball game with Gerard T. Leone Jr., when the two were students at Harvard University.
Bennett, who admittedly took his time over lunch, returned to the dorm room he shared with Leone to find the future Middlesex County district attorney pacing. (more…)
The Woburn Advocate- October 1, 2008
Bullying – long a frustration for vulnerable kids, their parents and school officials – has taken a new turn, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said after a meeting at Woburn Memorial High School on Tuesday.
Leone met with school officials as part of his ongoing Community-Based Justice (CBJ) program, aimed at identifying at-risk students throughout the county and finding ways to deter them from crime and violence. (more…)
The Daily News Tribune – September 30, 2008
WALTHAM —
Forging strong bonds with kids and talking to them about their problems can help keep them out of trouble, said officials at yesterday’s conference on youth violence.
Preventing school violence was the focus of the 13th annual School Safety Summit at Bentley College attended by law enforcement personnel, educators and social workers from across Middlesex County. (more…)
The Boston Globe – August 3, 2008
Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. entered office quietly, winning election in an uncontested race in 2006, after the five state lawmakers who were considering running for the position dropped out well in advance.
But this first term has been anything but quiet for Leone, a former Middlesex assistant district attorney, criminal chief for the state attorney general, and federal prosecutor and antiterrorism coordinator, whose office of 250 lawyers serves 54 cities and towns in the vast county and handles about 41,000 cases at any given time. (more…)
‘Career prosecutor’ is doing exactly what he wants to do
By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff | July 11, 2008
Prosecutors, especially those who yearn for higher office, have been known to flock to television cameras. But back when he was lead prosecutor in the murder trial of British au pair Louise Woodward, Gerard T. Leone Jr. let others address the media. Leone handled the opening argument, cross-examined Woodward, and convinced a jury in his closing that the 19-year-old was guilty of second-degree murder in the death of baby Matthew Eappen. But he ceded television time to fellow prosecutor Martha Coakley and District Attorney Thomas F. Reilly – partly because Leone wasn’t interested, partly because his wife had recently given birth and he preferred to get home to his family. (more…)
Boston Herald, Monday, June 2, 2008
By Joe Dwinel
Three husbands who prosecutors say murdered over money, sexual frustration and revenge all go on trial just days apart beginning today in Middlesex Superior Court.
Court workers in Woburn say they’ve never seen such sensational cases hit the docket simultaneously. (more…)
Lowell Sun, May 9, 2008
By Dennis Shaughnessey, dshaughnessey@lowellsun.com
TYNGSBORO — To the world, Rachel Scott is a tragic statistic: the first of 12 students and one teacher gunned down at Columbine High School nine years ago.
To Larry Scott, her uncle, she is so much more.
Rachel’s message of kindness and tolerance is the inspiration behind Rachel’s Challenge, a nonprofit, anti-violence program that is sprouting branches in high schools across the country. Using Rachel’s own writings, the nationwide program works to help students, parents and community leaders make changes to prevent more tragedies. (more…)
Cambridge Chronicle, May 1, 2008
Cambridge – Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone announced Wednesday that his office, in collaboration with Middlesex County school superintendents, has sent out letters seeking to help parents protect their children from the dangers of drinking and driving during this year’s prom and graduation season.
The joint letter, which is being distributed to parents of 12th graders in Middlesex County, outlines the troubling statistics regarding teenage drinking and driving and offers parents a number of proactive steps that they can take to help prevent their children and others from getting behind the wheel while impaired. (more…)
Boston Herald, April 16, 2008
By: Marie Szaniszlo
She was an assistant principal at a Boston-area high school three years ago when she discovered a MySpace.com page under her name – carrying her photograph and a series of disturbing messages from students.
“One said, ‘I want to kill her,’ ” said the woman, who asked that her name and her school’s be withheld. “It was shocking. As an administrator, you have to roll with the punches. But a number of kids who posted these messages were kids I’d thought I had excellent relationships with. You can’t say it doesn’t hurt.” (more…)
Newton TAB, April 8, 2008
By Kerri Roche/Daily News staff
NEWTON – If parents continually and effectively talk with their children, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said his job of prosecuting violent and sexual crimes throughout the county would be less demanding.
Appearing before Newton community leaders, guidance counselors and mental health professionals at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Leone joined two renown doctors for Friday’s youth safety conference. One of the doctors has helped Leone successfully prosecute high-profile cases. (more…)
Somerville Journal – March 18, 2008
Boston – More than 1,000 middle and high school students and teachers from across New England, including students from East Somerville Community School, heard from Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) experts last Thursday at ADL’s A World of Difference Institute’s 14th Annual New England Youth Congress.
The students met to discuss the disturbing increase in bullying via the Internet, cell phones, and other modern technologies due in large part to the anonymity of these technologies. (more…)
Boston Globe Northwest – March 2, 2008
Starting tomorrow, all parents of newborns at Winchester Hospital will receive training on how to quiet their crying babies – and how to keep themselves from lashing out in ways that could damage babies’ brains or even kill them.
The hospital is the first in Middlesex County to adopt the training program on shaken baby syndrome. Melrose-Wakefield, Cambridge, and Newton-Wellesley hospitals plan to launch similar programs this spring. (more…)
Boston Herald Editorial – February 28, 2008
Lawmakers will meet today to discuss a slew of bills dealing with serial sex offenders – timely, given recent, stomach-turning events. But we mustn’t be lulled into believing that if we simply muster enough “aye” votes on Beacon Hill it will rid our society of sickos that repeatedly flout the law.
That isn’t to say some pending legislation isn’t worth a closer look. (more…)
Somerville Journal – February 15, 2008
Somerville – Somerville has not forgotten the explosive race riot of 1991 at the high school, resulting in the suspension of more than a dozen students and the emergence of a new approach to race relations a public safety.
Neither has Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, who was an assistant district attorney when then-Mayor Michael Capuano and then-district attorney Tom Reilly started the Community Based Justice Program as a pilot in Somerville, Lowell and Malden in the 90s. (more…)
MetroWest Daily News – February 12, 2008
ASHLAND – Parents packed Ashland High School’s Ruthfield Theater last night for a forum sounding an alarm about apparently widespread alcohol and drug use and depression among the town’s students.
Organizers ran out of 150 pamphlets printed before the event began, with attendees filling most seats in the two-tiered room.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone described the “heartbreaking” consequences of adolescents using drugs and alcohol, and “friends killing friends” under the influence. (more…)
Boston Globe – February 12, 2008
Seeking to increase the public’s role in keeping dangerous sex offenders off the streets, officials today filed legislation that would give prosecutors the right to demand that a jury decide whether an offender is a sexually dangerous person.
Under state law, a person deemed sexually dangerous is civilly committed to the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater for “one day to life.’’ The issue gained bitter prominence last week when a Level 3 sex offender was charged with raping a six-year-old boy in New Bedford’s downtown public library. (more…)
February 7, 2008
BOSTON – In an effort to provide prosecutors and community members with more power in determining whether convicted sex offenders should be allowed back into neighborhoods, members of law enforcement, the legislature, and a victims’ advocacy group came together today to file legislation seeking to reform the sexually dangerous persons statute.
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, State Senator Steven Baddour (D-Methuen), State Representative Charley Murphy (D-Burlington), and Jane Doe, Inc. Executive Director Mary Lauby announced the filing of the bill at a press conference today in the State House. (more…)
MetroWest Daily News – February 1, 2008
FRAMINGHAM – The number of domestic violence-related deaths statewide increased nearly three-fold from 2005 to 2007, a fact Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone believes is “unacceptable.”
“That’s not a problem – it’s an epidemic,” Leone said yesterday, recalling a domestic violence murder he prosecuted a decade ago in Waltham. “It’s entirely unacceptable that we haven’t made strides in those 10 years.”
Voices Against Violence’s Mary Gianakis agrees, and yesterday announced the launch of a new program aimed at stopping such deaths. (more…)
Stoneham Sun – January 30, 2008
Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone recently met with members of the state Legislature, including Rep. Paul Casey, D-Winchester, to discuss legislative priorities for 2008.
At a State House meeting attended by 20 legislators from throughout Middlesex County, Leone highlighted his first year in office, outlined school safety programs that can be utilized in each community, and discussed legislative priorities for the year ahead.
These included school and Internet safety, as well as preventing instances of domestic violence. (more…)
Milford Daily News – January 25, 2008
HOPEDALE – Days before Louise Woodward’s trial ended in fall 1997, lead prosecutor Gerry Leone had a brief courtroom conversation with one of her attorneys, Barry Scheck, about whether she would testify.
“Would you put her on?” Scheck asked him, Leone recalled yesterday. “Not in a million years,” he replied. “Neither would I,” was Scheck’s response, Leone said.
The rest of Woodward’s defense team ultimately overruled Scheck, which Leone said yesterday “was critical” to convicting her for the shaking death of Matthew Eappen, an 8-month-old Newton boy. Woodward, 19 at the time, was the Eappens’ British au pair. (more…)
MetroWest Daily News – January 5, 2008
Gerry Leone did not have a lot of time to settle into his seat in his new office when he took the reins as the new Middlesex District Attorney last year.
Just two weeks after he took office on Jan. 4, 2007, 15-year-old James Alenson was stabbed to death in Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School on Jan. 19. John Odgren, 17, of Princeton and a student at the school, was arrested.
Since then, it has been a busy first year for Leone, of Holliston, who was a prosecutor under then-Middlesex District Attorney Tom Reilly in the 1990s. (more…)
Medford Transcript – September 19, 2007
It’s hard enough to catch criminals when they cross state lines. The vague boundaries of the Internet and the increasing number of crimes committed online — from identity theft and fraud to sexual predators trolling for victims — only adds to the challenges facing today’s law enforcement officials.
To meet that challenge, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. is launching the “Cyber Protection Program,” a team focused on Internet crime, which will include Assistant DA Dana Leccese as well as other lawyers, State Police and civilian forensic specialists. (more…)
Winchester Star – September 13, 2007
Winchester – Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone last week chose the Winchester Police Department to announce the creation of a new Domestic Violence Unit to be overseen by his Family Protection Bureau.
The idea was developed throughout the past eight months, and will include a centralized office to be based in Woburn.
“One priority area of mine has always been the prevention and intervention side (of domestic violence),” said Leone. “That’s why I’ve established the Domestic Violence Unit.” (more…)
