Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Benjamin Peirce, a 19-year-old Newton man, recently pleaded guilty to manslaughter and firearms charges and was sentenced to state prison for a crime he committed when he was 17.
Most juveniles convicted of first-degree murder would no longer automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole under a bill Gov. Deval Patrick filed Monday. Under the proposal, some offenders would be eligible for parole hearings 15 years into their sentence, according to a report Sunday in the Boston Globe. Others who participated in murders but did not perform the actual murder could get hearings sooner. Parole boards, however, would still be able to keep the offender behind bars for life. The proposal comes in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Miller vs. Alabama) in which the court decided that the mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole is unconstitutional for defendants under…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The defendant helped kill Adam Coveney of Waltham.
A Newton man pleaded guilty on Dec. 20 to manslaughter in the murder of a Waltham man in 2010, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office. Benjamin Peirce, 19, of Newton, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and illegal possession of a firearm, according to the DA's office. Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman, during a change of plea hearing, sentenced Peirce to 17 - 20 years in state prison for the manslaughter charge and 4-to-5 years for the firearm charge. The prison terms will run concurrently. He was also sentenced to 10 years of probation to be served after he is released from prison. “This defendant, frustrated after a failed robbery attempt, decided to conspire with three others to rob the victim, who was …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Former Newton North student Benjamin Peirce is accused of killing Adam Coveney of Waltham.
A judge has ruled out sentencing a Newton teen to life without parole for his involvement in the shooting death of a Waltham man. Former Newton North student Benjamin Peirce, 19, is facing murder charges for his role in the killing of Adam Coveney in the fall of 2010. Jury selection for his trial is set to begin on Jan. 14, 2013. Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman, in a written ruling dated Nov. 7, ruled that only life in prison with the possibility of parole can be imposed on Peirce, if he is convicted of murder. Massachusetts state law requires anybody convicted of first degree murder receive a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, a federal Supreme Court ruling requires convicts be 18 at the …
Monday, October 29, 2012
Benjamin Peirce is facing murder charges for allegedly helping kill Adam Coveney, of Waltham.
Jury selection for the murder trial of Newton resident Benjamin Peirce will begin on Jan. 14, according the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office. The trial had originally been scheduled for September of this year. However, the trial date was pushed back. Also, a Middlesex Superior Court Judge, during an Oct. 26 hearing, said she would take a previous a motion from Peirce's attorney under advisement. The motion is intended to avoid an automatic sentence of life in jail without the possibility of parole. The motion could eventually go to a state appeals court or the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Peirce, 19, is facing murder charges for allegedly helping kill Adam Coveney, of Waltham, during an alleged robbery in September …
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The case of Benjamin Peirce could end up at state Supreme Court.
The case of a Newton man accused of killing a Waltham man could reach the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The attorney for Benjamin Peirce, who is accused of killing Adam Coveney, of Waltham, has filed a motion he said is intended to have his his client avoid automatically being sentenced to life in jail without parole if convicted at trial. Peirce's attorney, John Salsberg, and Middlesex County District attorneys discussed the issue during a Friday, Oct. 12 hearing at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. Salsberg told Patch that the motion would have an appeals court review the issue of whether Peirce can be sentenced to life in prison without the possiblity of parole, since the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that defendants under 18 …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Shaquan Jacobs, 20, was sentenced to life in prison.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Shaquan Jacobs, 20, changed his plea in Middlesex Superior Court today.
A Newton man was sentenced to life in prison today after admitting to his role in the 2010 shooting death of 29-year-old Adam Coveney, of Waltham. Shaquan Jacobs, 20, pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court today to charges of second degree murder and attempted armed robbery. Jacobs changed his plea today from not guilty to guilty. Coveney's family was present in the courtroom for today's hearing and sentencing. "I miss my brother Adam so much that sometimes it takes my breath away," Lindsey Coveney, Adam's sister told the court. "He was first friend and my big brother." Jacobs is a 2010 graduate of Newton North High School. He was sentenced to prison at MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole with the possibility of parole in 15 years, according…
Monday, September 24, 2012
Two Newton men are also charged in connection with the case. They will appear in court later this week.
A man was found guilty Friday, Sept. 21, by a Middlesex Superior Court Jury of killing Adam Coveney two years ago "in cold blood" after he tricked the 29-year-old Waltham man to meet him for a proposed drug deal that was a ruse to rob and murder him. Daniel Louis, 23, who was sentenced by Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman to life in a state prison without the possibility of parole, "showed a complete disregard for another person’s life in committing this act of senseless violence," Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said in a press release. “This defendant shot to death in cold blood, while conspiring with three others who agreed to set up the victim for a drug deal in which they intended to shoot and kill the victim,” …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The trial for two Newton co-defendants was postponed last month.
Although two Newton men are still waiting to face trial for the 2010 shooting death of a Waltham man, their co-defendant's trial started today, Sept. 6. Jury selection for the murder trial of Roxbury resident Daniel Louis starts today, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office. Daniel Louis is accused of killing Adam Coveney, 29, of Waltham in September of 2010 during an alleged drug transaction. Newton residents Benjamin Peirce, 18, and Shaquan Jacobs, 19, are also charged in Coveney's death. Their trial, which was scheduled to start this week, was postponed last month. Officials allege that Peirce and Jacobs met up with Louis on Sept. 30 and attempted to rob a Newton North student they knew well. When that failed, …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Benjamin Peirce and Shaquan Jacobs, of Newton, will be back in court next month.
A murder trial involving two Newton men has been pushed back from its initial start date of Sept. 5. Benjamin Peirce, 18, and Shaquan Jacobs, 19, will appear in court again on Sept. 28, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Spokesperson Stephanie Guyotte. A new date for the trial has not been set. Peirce and Jacobs are charged with murder, armed robbery, possession of a firearm, conspiracy to commit armed robbery (two counts) and attempted armed robbery in connection with the Sept. 30, 2010 shooting death of 29-year-old Adam Coveney, of Waltham. According to Guyotte, Peirce appeared in Middlesex Superior Court on August 21 for a motion hearing. He will appear on Sept. 28 for a status hearing. Jacobs, who appeared in court …
devitta heard
4:28 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Is that for all fifty state's more ›