Brookline man pleads not guilty to firearms charges

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

A Brookline man is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing after he pleaded not guilty to 39 charges stemming from a cache of allegedly unlicensed firearms police found in his home Monday.

Richard L. Becker, 55, of 181 Harvard St., pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges including multiple counts of possession of a large capacity rifle, possession of a large capacity firearm, possession of a firearm without a license and possession of two silencers.

Police said they found a cache of 36 firearms in Becker's home Monday after checking on his well being and that of his 87-year-old father Gerald Becker, whom police discovered is now living in an assisted living home. Police said Richard Becker's firearms identification card expired in 1998, and there were also two warrants for his arrest for failure to report for jury duty.

His attorney, Joanna Sandman, asked Brookline District Court Judge Patricia Curtin that Becker be allowed to receive medical attention for "serious" health issues while he is being held in police custody. Police said Becker fell down with an undisclosed illness Monday when they arrested him outside his home and he spent almost two days in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Sandman declined to comment further about the case outside Brookline District Court Thursday morning. Becker is due back in court for the dangerousness hearing next Wednesday, June 20.