3 gang members sentenced to prison
BOSTON
Three members of a Dorchester street gang have been sentenced to prison on racketeering charges tied to the shootings of rival gang members. The three men were charged in a sweeping federal racketeering indictment that alleged they were members of a violent gang known as the Stonehurst Crew. From 1998 to 2000, the gang was involved in dealing drugs and carried out at least 22 shootings in Boston and Brockton, according to the indictment. US District Judge Patti Saris on Thursday sentenced Jackson Nascimento, 24, to 14 years and 3 months in prison for racketeering, conspiracy to murder members of a rival gang, and assault with a firearm. Kamal Lattimore, 24, received a sentence of 3 years and 10 months on a charge of racketeering conspiracy. Lance Talbert, 23, was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months on charges of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, and conspiring to murder members of a rival gang. Six other men charged in the same case are scheduled to go to trial in January, including four men who face murder charges. (AP)
State certifies property tax rates
Boston's property tax rates for fiscal year 2006 were certified by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday. Under the new rates, the average tax bill for a single-family homeowner with the residential exemption is $2,753, a 9 percent increase from last year. The tax rate for residential property is $11.12 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. The tax rate for commercial, industrial, and personal property is $30.70 per thousand. Last year's rates were $10.73 and $32.68, respectively.
Man dies after cigarette ignites bed
A 60-year-old man died early yesterday morning in Jamaica Plain when a cigarette apparently ignited a mattress he was sleeping on, police and fire officials said yesterday. Firefighters were called to a two-story house at 10 Hathaway St. about 3 a.m. where they found the basement on fire. The fire caused $1,000 of damage to the basement, where the man apparently fell asleep, fire department spokesman Scott Salman said. No other injuries were reported.
Teen gets state prison term for robbery
A Dorchester teenager was sent to state prison yesterday for his role in the robbery of a Jamaica Plain woman, who was eight months pregnant when the defendant and two other intruders forced their way into her home and hog-tied her with duct tape. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Carol Ball sentenced Luis Delarosa, 19, to a three- to five-year term for charges that included armed assault in a dwelling and armed robbery. Delarosa admitted that he set up the robbery by choosing the target and making sure the victim's boyfriend was not home. A 17-year-old East Boston youth and Edwal Lantigua, 18, of Charlestown pleaded guilty last month.
2 charged in shooting that paralyzed man
A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted two Brookline men in an Oct. 7 shooting in Allston that left the victim paralyzed.The indictments charge Desmond Joseph, 20, with armed assault with intent to murder and Kharee Criswell, 28, as an accessory to the crime in the shooting of Marashena Demes. Both men are also charged with possession of the .25-caliber handgun used to shoot Demes, 23, in the spine at the Charlesview housing complex on North Harvard Street.
Nightclub patron charged in stabbings
An East Boston man has been indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury in the Aug. 28 stabbings of three men outside a downtown nightclub. William Ekasala, 29, is accused of stabbing two bouncers at Club Q on Union Street near Faneuil Hall and an employee of an adjacent tavern who intervened. Two of the victims had life-threatening abdominal wounds and the third had an arm injury.Ekasala is scheduled for arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court Jan. 4 on three charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
SALEM
Boyfriend found guilty of murder
A Salem Superior Court jury yesterday found Joseph Facella, 49, of Haverhill, guilty of first-degree murder for the beating death of his girlfriend, 39-year-old Annette Soares. Judge David Lowy sentenced Facella to the mandatory term of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Kathe M. Tuttman, Essex County assistant district attorney, proved that Facella beat Soares in the Haverhill condominium they shared on April 25, 2002. She was pronounced dead the next morning at Boston Medical Center. (AP) 