New England in brief
WOBURN - Prosecutors in the case of a teenager charged with fatally stabbing another student at a high school are asking a judge to allow them to use jailhouse recordings of the teen’s conversations with his parents at his upcoming trial. John Odgren’s lawyers contend he was legally insane when he randomly chose a victim at Lincoln-Sudbury High School and stabbed him repeatedly in a boys’ bathroom. James Alenson, 15, died in the 2007 attack. Prosecutors said jailhouse recordings of Odgren’s conversations with his parents show a lucid boy who was not in the throes of mental illness. Prosecutors are expected to play some recordings today in Middlesex Superior Court to persuade a judge to allow jurors to hear them. The trial is to begin April 5. (AP)
BOSTON
Lawmakers consider Lawrence fiscal plan
Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing a financing plan to help stabilize the city of Lawrence and stave off possible bankruptcy. A hearing on the plan has been scheduled by the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees for tomorrow at the State House with top officials from the Patrick administration and the city. Governor Deval Patrick filed a bill last month that would help Lawrence by allowing it to borrow up to $35 million to balance its 2010 and 2011 budgets. The bill also would require a state-appointed fiscal overseer to monitor the city’s finances and recommend whether the state should appoint a finance control board. A similar board helped lead Springfield out of a recent fiscal crisis. Lawrence, a city of 71,000, faces a financial deficit of about $17 million. (AP)
CONCORD, N.H.
Colleges rank high for Peace Corps grads
Several schools in northern New England are among the colleges and universities that produced a high number of Peace Corps volunteers last year. The University of Vermont came in at 13th among medium-size schools, with the University of New Hampshire in 15th place. Among small schools, Middlebury College in Vermont ranked third, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire ranked 12th, and Bowdoin College in Maine ranked 22d. (AP)Autopsy scheduled for inmate found dead
Prison officials say an autopsy will be performed on an inmate who was found dead in his cell at the New Hampshire State Prison. Mark Paul Drouin, 48, of Berlin was unresponsive when he was checked on about 7:35 a.m. yesterday during the regular morning rounds, officials said. WMUR-TV said Drouin had been in prison since 1993 serving sentences for second-degree murder and assault convictions. Corrections officials said an autopsy and toxicology tests have been scheduled. (AP)NEW HAVEN
Home invasion suspect due back in court
A man accused of killing a Connecticut woman and her two daughters is expected to appear in court after a medical emergency sent him to the hospital. Steven Hayes, one of two men charged with the 2007 killings during a home invasion in Cheshire, is expected to return to New Haven Superior Court today. Jury selection in his trial has been on hold since he was found unresponsive in his cell on Jan. 31. New Haven Superior Court Judge Jon Blue said Thursday he hopes to resume the process after assessing Hayes. Authorities have declined to confirm a report by the Hartford Courant that Hayes overdosed on medication. (AP)DANBURY, Conn.
Theater owner facing homicide charges
The owner of the Palace Theater in Danbury will soon face a judge for arraignment in a homicide case. Joseph DaSilva Jr. of New Milford is to appear in Danbury Superior Court tomorrow on charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, and two counts of third-degree assault in connection with the death of Luis Encalada. Encalada, 42, was found injured Nov. 6 in the driveway of a Danbury apartment building and died later that day. The motive remains unclear, but witnesses told police there was some kind of argument. DaSilva, 50, surrendered to police Jan. 29 after being notified that there was a warrant for his arrest. He posted $100,000 bail. (AP)
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