Latest news with #NorfolkDA
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. man pleads guilty to killing man while driving 120 mph in I-93 race, sentenced to prison
A Roslindale man will go to prison for the death of another man while racing on Interstate 93 in Braintree in 2023, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey's office said Thursday. Hedweens Quetant, 21, was sentenced to three to five years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, racing a motor vehicle and witness intimidation. 'This senseless tragedy and unfathomable loss continues to affect not only the victim's family and extended family, but also his co-workers and friends,' Morrissey said in a statement from his office. Quetant's sentence stemmed from an incident on Feb. 19, 2023, that led to the death of Michael Wojdag, 46, of Hanson, following a crash. On that day, witnesses told Massachusetts State Police that a 2019 Honda Civic had crashed into a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe while on the northbound side of I-93 near Exit 6 in Braintree, Morrissey's office said. Quetant drove the Honda, Wojdag drove the Chevrolet. Quetant drove with his headlights off while driving at 120 mph, racing another car before he hit Wojdag's SUV, Morrissey's office said. The other driver who raced Quetant drove off and was never found by Massachusetts State Police, the statement read. The driver of the other vehicle who was racing Quetant fled the scene. Despite the extensive efforts of the Massachusetts State Police, neither the driver nor the vehicle was found. Judge Michael Doolin also sentenced Quetant to concurrent jail terms for reckless operation of a motor vehicle and racing a motor vehicle, Morrissey's office said. Once Quetant finishes his prison sentence, he will be on probation for three years. Along with a 15-year loss of a driver's license carried by the manslaughter conviction, Quetant was ordered to stay away from Wojdag's family and not make contact with them. Tractor-trailer crash on I-90 in Charlton slowed traffic for hours Thursday morning Route 2 west in Westminster down to breakdown lane due to rollover crash Five Western Mass. teens arrested after stolen car crashes with two others on I-91 Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass. accountant gets jail time for embezzling more than $1.2M from her employer
A Weymouth woman has been sentenced to 3 ½ years in jail for embezzling more than $1.2 million from her employer in Holbrook, the district attorney said Tuesday. Ashley Sumner, 39, pleaded guilty last week in Norfolk Superior Court to a six-count indictment, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement. Judge Mark Hallal also sentenced Sumner to three years' probation and restitution to be determined by the court. Sumner worked as an accountant for Allstate Glass in Holbrook from 2020 to 2023, Morrissey said. Holbrook Police determined Sumner made multiple fraudulent credit card charges, direct deposits, and wire transfers from January 2021 through February 2023, when she resigned, Morrissey said. Company officials reported to police that Sumner was suspected of stealing. She was arrested in August 2023 after a five-month investigation. Sumner pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny of more than $1,200 by a single scheme, two counts of improper use of a credit card and one count each of larceny of property valued at more than $1,200 and money laundering, Morrissey said. Hallal sentenced Sumner to a maximum 2 ½-year jail term for one count of improper use of a credit card and a consecutive one-year term for the second credit card count. Sumner 'was a trusted employee with access to company credit cards who was responsible for the payroll and paying the company's bills,' Morrissey said in a statement. 'Her actions siphoning the company's money for her own personal use violated the trust of her employer.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
‘A stunning win for the defense': Experts react to Karen Read verdict
The not-guilty verdicts in the retrial of Karen Read on Wednesday can be described as nothing short of a massive victory for Read and her defense team, legal experts say. Read was acquitted of the three most serious charges she faced: second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death. The seven women and five men picked as deliberating jurors convicted Read only of operating under the influence, a misdemeanor for which she will serve one year of probation. Jack Lu, a retired Superior Court judge who followed the trial, said the verdict was a 'rejection of the quality of the investigation of homicide cases by the Massachusetts State Police.' 'It's a stunning win for the defense,' he said. Dan Conley, a former Suffolk County district attorney and now a partner at Mintz, echoed Lu. It's 'very clear that today was a very clear and decisive victory for the defense,' he said Wednesday evening. While it's impossible to know what was going through jurors' minds, Conley speculated that prosecutors simply failed to meet the high burden of proving their case beyond a reasonable doubt. He said the prosecution had a 'tough case,' noting the lack of eyewitnesses. Conley praised the performance of Hank Brennan, the special prosecutor hired by the Norfolk district attorney's office for the retrial, and Read's defense team. 'Both sides tried it well,' he said. Read more: 'This is the best day ever': Karen Read supporters erupt in sobs and confetti George Price, a partner at Casner and Edwards, who worked as a special prosecutor for the Middlesex district attorney's office, said the verdict returned by the jury was the right one based on the evidence. 'It was the prosecution's job to explain to the jury what caused John's ... death, and they failed miserably," he said. Payal Salsburg, a partner at the firm Laredo & Smith, called the retrial 'the most expensive, longest battled jury trial on an OUI case.' Indeed, Brennan, the special prosecutor, earned more than $220,000 to prosecute Read as of Jan. 25, 2025, alone, according to the most recent bills provided by the district attorney's office in response to a MassLive public records request. Significant funds were devoted to security, as well, with Massachusetts State Police troopers and Dedham Police officers patrolling the streets surrounding the Dedham courthouse. Read sank millions into her defense, and faces an ongoing legal fight in a civil wrongful death suit filed by the O'Keefe family. Still, she is free from the looming specter of a potential life sentence. 'I'm still in a dream,' she told reporters from the SUV whisking her away from the courthouse on Wednesday. Karen Read verdict: How the day played out before acquittal Canton was 'deeply affected' by Karen Read murder trial, official says 'This is the best day ever': Karen Read supporters erupt in sobs and confetti After acquittal, what comes next for Karen Read? Alberts, McCabes say trial was 'infected by lies' after Karen Read's acquittals Read the original article on MassLive.
