Men get prison in '05 home invasion, rape

March 16, 2008

A Framingham man and a Boston man have been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a 2005 home invasion and rape in Braintree. Donnell Nicholson and Alexis Middleton, both 25, were convicted Monday and sentenced Friday in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. Superior Court Judge Janet Saunders called the crimes "shocking and sadistic." The pair were masked and armed when they broke into the house in January 2005. They terrorized and beat two young men and two young women because they thought there was marijuana and cash in the house. The women were stripped naked, and Middleton forced one to perform a sex act on him at gunpoint. A prosecutor asked for 60-year sentences. Defense lawyers requested 10-year sentences. (AP)

The driver of a sport utility vehicle was killed early yesterday morning after the SUV slammed into a utility pole in Melrose, felled power lines, and left several neighborhoods without electricity, police said. Speed appeared to have been a factor in the crash near the intersection of Pleasant and Ashmont Streets just after 2:30 a.m., police said. The victim, whose identity was not released pending notification of his family, was taken to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital in Melrose, where he later died. No one else was in the black SUV, and no other injuries were reported. Melrose and State Police were investigating.

Officials at Framingham State College say they have alerted the FBI after finding that hackers had broken into the school's e-mail system and sent threatening messages across the country. Patrick Laughran, the college's chief information technology officer, said the e-mails' content was "threatening someone in exchange for money." He says they have been traced to China, Russia, and Sudan. He says about 30 campus e-mail accounts were compromised. The security has largely been repaired. (AP)

A prosciutto-wielding meat thief in Gloucester met his match when a restaurant owner fought off the assault by slamming the thief's face with a ham. Joe Scola of Scola's Place heard a noise in his restaurant Wednesday and saw a man fleeing with his arms full of meat from the freezer. Scola caught up and started taking the meat. That's when the man raised a 5-pound log of frozen prosciutto over his head, presumably to whack Scola. Scola had his own frozen product on hand. He told the Gloucester Daily Times that he slammed the ham in the man's face, leaving a gash. The thief was so stunned that he dropped the meat and fled. (AP)

Former congressional candidate Dave Rogers was arrested in Middletown on a drunken driving charge. Rogers, a Republican, is a former aide to Governor Don Carcieri and made unsuccessful bids in 2002 and 2004 for the congressional seat held by Representative Patrick Kennedy, a Democrat. The Providence Journal reported that Rogers, 42, was stopped early Friday morning in Middletown, allegedly for speeding. Police said Rogers told them he had been drinking beer. They said he failed a field sobriety test and refused to take a chemical breath test. Rogers pleaded not guilty to charges including drunken driving and driving with an unregistered vehicle. (AP)

Lawyers for Sheila LaBarre are preparing to listen to 350 audio recordings she made before being charged with killing two men at her horse farm. Prosecutor James Boffetti said the cassette tapes were found in LaBarre's house and barn and were recorded over a period of years dating back to the early 1990s. LaBarre, 49, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity last month to the slayings of two former boyfriends, Kenneth Countie and Michael Deloge. Instead of a facing a trial in which the state would have to prove murder, LaBarre will have to prove insanity to avoid a prison sentence and be sent instead to a psychiatric ward. (AP)

The former House majority leader has reported to a federal prison in New Jersey to begin serving a three-year term for corruption. Gerard Martineau left Rhode Island Friday, driving with a family member to the prison in Fort Dix. Martineau, 49, who sold paper and plastic bags, has admitted using his political influence to defeat legislation opposed by major customers, CVS and Blue Cross. Martineau found out about his prison assignment on Wednesday, the same day he buried his mother, Rachel Martineau, who died last Sunday at 85. (AP)