Sunday, October 14, 2012
Here's a quick run-down of developments in the State Drug Lab scandal. Evidence tainted by a so-called "rogue chemist" is putting thousands of drug convictions at risk.
It's been another busy week of fallout from the State Drug Lab scandal. "Rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan is alleged to have tainted up to 34,000 drug samples. Concerns over evidence handled by Dookhan has already led to convicted drug dealers being freed from prison. Here are the week's major developments: Monday will be a big day in this evolving story, as a special session to deal with possibly tainted cases begins in Suffolk Superior Court. Patch will keep you updated. For all of Jamaica Plain Patch's coverage of the JP Drug Lab Scandal, please visit our topic page on the issue.
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Friday, October 12, 2012
Shawn Drumgold, 47, who was falsely imprisoned for 14 years for the shocking murder of a preteen Boston girl, was found not guilty Friday on new drug charges.
A high-profile former murder suspect who argued that a "rogue chemist" tainted drug evidence against him has been found not guilty by a judge. Shawn Drumgold, 47, of Abington, was found not guilty on new drug charges by Roxbury District Court Judge David Weingarten, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Drumgold is a controversial figure in that he was convicted of the shocking 1988 murder of a 12-year-old girl on a Roxbury playground, then set free after witnesses changed their stories. Prosecutors say that in the just-finished drug trial, the judge's "not guilty" ruling was not based on whether disgraced chemist Annie Dookhan handled samples in his case. Drumgold's attorney had argued that initials on lab records …
A chemist who worked alongside the disgraced Annie Dookhan for eight years at the JP Drug Lab told a judge the "rogue chemist" had nearly unfettered access to the lab.
A coworker of the chemist accused of mishandling evidence in ways that could set hundreds of convicted drug dealers loose on Boston streets gave a glimpse into the work life of the now-shuttered JP State Drug Lab. Daniella Frasca, who worked alongside disgraced lab worker Annie Dookhan for eight years, testified in a drug trial Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Frasca told State Police she never saw Dookhan do anything wrong, Patch news partner 7News reports. But under close questioning from a defense attorney, she did say Dookhan had the access both to codes to disarm the lab's alarm system as well as a computer in the evidence room. On Friday, the drug defendant, Shawn Drumgold, was found not guilty, according to the Suffolk …
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Chemist Annie Dookhan refused to testify Wednesday in a case involving Shawn Drumgold, who spent 14 years in prison for an infamous Boston murder.
UPDATE, Wednesday, 6:28 p.m. — The Globe reports that the judge will not immediately drop charges in the drug case against Shawn Drumgold. The judge said he will give prosecutors time to determine whether or not "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan handled the evidence against Drumgold. ~~~~~ Two notorious figures in Massachusetts crime crossed paths in court Wednesday, as "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan pleaded the Fifth to avoid testifying. Dookhan exercised her Constitutional right against self-incrimination in refusing to answer questions in a drug case against Shawn Drumgold. That's the same Shawn Drumgold who spent 14 years behind bars for the murder of 12-year-old Darlene Tiffany Moore. The child was killed in crossfire between rival gangs …
