The Kickham Comment - Boston Criminal Attorney Blog
Now that the verdict is in on this case, the predictable debate over the insanity defense has followed in the vox populi. A number of media outlets have asked for my legal opinion on this verdict, and I’m proud to say that in the past 24 hours, I’ve appeared as a legal analyst on WGBH-TV’s […]
Search Results for: John Odgren
Odgren Murder Defense Rests, But Not Before Seeking Special Jury Instruction From Judge
Today, John Odgren’s defense lawyer rested his case in the murder trial of the now 19-year-old young man who is accused of fatally stabbing 15-year-old James Alenson in a bathroom at Lincoln-Sudbury High School three years ago. As a Norfolk County Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer, I can assure you: Odgren’s lawyer has his hands full […]
Massachusetts SJC Decision Barring Juvenile Life Sentences Without Parole: Good or Bad?
In my previous post on Christmas Day, I wrote briefly about the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s (SJC) decision earlier this week barring life sentences for juveniles convicted of murder. The SJC’s concerned the case of Gregory Diatchenko, who was 17 in 1981 when he murdered a man in Kenmore Square. He has served thirty years […]
Massachusetts Juveniles Can Appeal Mandatory Life Sentences For Murder
It made headlines today in The Boston Globe and countless other newspapers across the U.S.: The United States Supreme Court, in a divided decision, struck down mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles who are, or were, convicted of murder. The court ruled that such sentencing statutes violate the ban against “Cruel and Unusual Punishment” imposed by […]
SCOTUS: Juvenile Life Sentences Without Parole In Non-Homicide Cases Violates Eighth Amendment
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this week, that juvenile sentences of life without parole in non-homicide cases violates the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, brought humanity and civility back into many courthouses across the United States. No one, this writer included, doubts that juveniles can commit the most horrific of crimes. […]
Massachusetts High Court Rules Against D.A.’s Use of Inmate’s Recorded Phone Calls – Part 1 of 2
In the constant tug-of-war between Massachusetts prosecutors’ offices and criminal defense attorneys over admissible evidence, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) yesterday issued a ruling against prosecutors, and in favor of defendants who are incarcerated and awaiting trial. The case concerns a shocking event that occurred in January 2007, at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, which […]
Lincoln, Massachusetts Teen Murder Defense To Focus on Asperger’s Syndrome
In my last entry that discussed the Lincoln, Massachusetts high school student accused of First Degree Murder in the killing of another student at Lincoln-Sudbury High School, I discussed John Odgren’s attorney’s reported plans to raise a defense of “Diminished Mental Capacity”. However, that’s a pretty general defense, and if it is ever going to […]
Massachusetts Teen Murderer’s Defense To Focus on Asperger’s Syndrome
Welcome to my first blog post on this site. It’s my hope that readers will find my thoughts, opinions, musings and postings to be educational, informative, and, sometimes hopefully, provocative toward a better criminal justice system in Massachusetts, and in other states. For this first entry, I’d like to comment about a case soon to […]
Massachusetts High School Murder: Another Tragic Ending?
In my last entry, I spoke about how the evidence in the 1996 John Salvi murder case was overflowing with expert testimony that Salvi was insane at the time of the abortion clinic murders that he committed. Despite this, many observers wished there existed a death penalty in Massachusetts. To those who said this, (including […]