19 year old Sean Ellis became a suspect when he was questioned by police over the murder of two women who were his roommates, including his . So corrupt that he ultimately testified under immunity in federal court in a case involving Robinson and Acerra, publicly admitting to years of misdeeds. And if we dont give you a fair trial, I cant stand up and defend that conviction. Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. 2018 | Maturity Rating: TV-MA | 2 Seasons | Drama. He took to the stands and explained how his two mentors on the night shift had almost perfected the routine of getting phony search warrants and stealing drug money. While Brazil was on this case, he came across another homicide, the double murder of Tracy Brown and Celine Kirk, which is how he came in contact with Sean Ellis, their cousin. The story of the notorious American mass murderer who killed his entire immediate family to hide his personal failures and hid for decades before he was finally arrested. Another detective on Luciens case was a member of a corrupt cohort of Boston officers who falsified evidence and stole money from drug dealers. display: none; Now after 26 years, that question about the pager and cash may unravel the entire case. A new task force will help prosecutors offices with trainings, data collection, and other expertise. The case against Ellis and his friend Terry Patterson over the murder of Detective John Mulligan, 52, was always thin: circumstantial eyewitnesses who didn't testify in the third trial; the. There were problems infecting the investigation, the prosecution, and certainly the trial.. The DAs office has to pick up the pieces and speak to the families, who are justifiably outraged and retraumatized. Earlier this year, a judge threw out Elliss last remaining charge. In 2015, a judge found he . . Rollins has argued that a lesser firearm conviction should stand because Lucien acknowledged in an earlier court filing that he had a gun. Ellis was out getting diapers at Walgreens for his cousin, hitching a ride from Patterson. He allegedly punched the child in the face and pinned her to the ground during a seven-minute assault. That same year, Foley admitted making up false allegations in the investigation of the murder of Boston Police Detective John Mulligan, according to a 1993 police memo that described Foley being hospitalized for a breakdown that left him unable to differentiate between fact and fiction., The memo speculated that Foley fabricated a suspect to solve Mulligans murder in an effort to become a hero in the eyes of the only family he had left, the Police Department. It recommended Foley return to duty with only limited public contact and no investigative functions.. Where Is She Now? Another investigator in the case, George Foley, had recently suffered an alcohol-related breakdown so severe that he probably shouldnt have been investigating cases at all; a high-ranking officer had described him as unable to differentiate between fact and fiction.. Ullman urged Edwards' family not to blame Lucien, but instead Brazil, who lied and tampered with evidence. Starring: Amanda Peet, Christian Slater, Rachel Keller. }Customer Service. In 1998, 51-year-old Kenneth Acerra, who was faced with a 27-count federal indictment, including stealing guns and drugs, pleaded guilty to reduced charges. I spoke with Ryan Edwardss sisters Judith and Dionne. Later on, detectives found the missing weapons near Ellis's home, where they were also investigating the murders of his two cousins, Celine Kirk and Tracy Brown. Boston Police spokesman Sergeant Detective John Boyle said the department is supportive of all efforts to rectify wrongful convictions and will continue to provide investigative support to Rollinss office. Rollins did what was morally right, Foxworth said in an interview, his voice tinged with emotion. Nobody is perfect. Ellis' conviction was overturned in 2015 when a judge found that corrupt detectives were heavily involved in the Mulligan investigation, which would make it difficult for Ellis to have a fair trial. Edwards' family members opposed Lucien's release. Sergeant Detective Michael Devane testified during a double murder trial in Suffolk Superior Court in 2019. In fact, the movie is about the same team that is part of the Boston newspaper and is known for its in-depth investigations. There is perhaps no single state agency that impacts the daily lives of the millions of people who live and work in the greater Boston area more than the T, said DA Rollins. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. "Now he's free and there's nobody to help our family, and my brother's murder goes as another unsolved murder.". In the past two years, plenty has been unearthed. State agencies are accountable to the public they serve. First, Devane served with Keeler in the homicide unit. Heres what we found! He resided in Canton, Massachusetts, and West Roxbury, Massachusetts, for a brief while, but then he left the state altogether. The work of redressing old wrongs has been vital to Robert Foxworth, 54, who served nearly 30 years for murder until being exonerated days before Christmas 2020. In 2018, he was cleared of all serious charges while preparing for a fourth pending trial. With each new revelation of wrongdoing or injustice come increasing questions about the police departments willingness to reckon with the sins of its past and reexamine its work, particularly when victims of that injustice remain behind bars. The office has a link on its website where defendants can request an application. Dennis Toomey, Lucien's defense attorney, had said due to an improper police investigation, his client's charges should be cleared. The only thing missing is . Suffolk County district attorney John Pappas acknowledged the police's corruption, particularly pegged to Detectives Walter Robinson, Kenneth Acerra, and John Brazil, the officers who working on the homicide investigation. Luciens case, on its own merits, is an outrage. Instead, the jury notified the trial judge that Brazils testimony was inconsistent with the physical evidence presented at trial, the statement said. That detective, John K . 10 hours ago, by Pallavi Bhadu The data for Suffolk County show that in the last three decades 75 percent of exonerations 26 of 34 cases have involved improper behavior by law enforcement. The bureau, which investigates claims of wrongful convictions, is part of a growing national effort among some prosecutors to address past injustices. Therefore, it is imperative that if we see a continued lack of oversight or negligence at the MBTA that it is exposed and corrected., Last October, Green Line trolley operator Owen Turner was charged with negligence of a person having care of public conveyance and gross negligence in management of a train for causing the July 30, 2021, trolley crash. Some say that he still resides in Massachusetts, and now, in his 70s, enjoys the experience of being an adult on retirement benefits, but we arent certain. This list of failures and tragedies appropriately makes the T-riding public and all of us question the value the MBTA is placing on safety. Police also never found the murder weapon. Rollinss investigators are reviewing the murder conviction of James Lucien, in which a Superior Court judge ruled that Brazil had committed perjury, leading to Luciens release last month after 26 years in prison, Rollinss office said in a statement. November 12, 2020 by Stacey Nguyen. Soon after his death . The events of July 30 violated that duty and trust. Keeler, who retired in 2016 and collects a pension of about $106,000 annually, could not be reached for comment. Sean faced three trials within a year before a jury could convict him. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said Detective John Brazil, a former Boston police officer who charged Lucien with the murder, was in a corruption scheme from 1990 to 1996,. Police and prosecutors usually work as a team in the search for truth. Lucien alleged that he was the one who was robbed, and said that he and Clarke were outside the car and exchanged gunfire which accounted for the two shots heard by the off-duty officer. Beyond that, the July 30, 2021 Green Line crash also came at the start of a terrifying two-month period during which: Boston University professor David Jones lost his life on September 11, 2021 while jogging on a staircase on MBTA property at JFK Station that had been blocked off but neglected and unrepaired for more than a year; dozens of individuals were sent tumbling down to the concrete floor of Back Bay station when the escalator they were on malfunctioned and nine people were injured (September 26, 2021); and a Red Line train derailing impacting service for several hours (September 28, 2021). And now I have an opportunity to be free.. He was an alleged star investigator in the 1980s and early 1990s, a figure in many important cases, especially drug-related cases. The tally includes Sean Ellis, whose case drew national attention from a 2020 Netflix documentary, Trial 4. Ellis had been freed in 2015 after serving 22 years in prison for the murder of Boston police Detective John Mulligan. Another 62 are under review or at some stage in the court system. She was the niece of a woman he was romantically involved and living with for quite some time. He was put on trial three times within the space of a year, and now faces his fourth trial which could see him back in prison for life. Kenneth Acerra of Newton, Massachusetts, was a Detective in the Boston Police Department in the 1990s. In his case and others, judges also cited the heightened dangers of COVID-19 for those confined to prison, as underscoring the urgency of promptly addressing questionable convictions. Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. 15. . Brazil further stated that his seniors told him to do the same. James Lucien is exonerated Tuesday after spending 27 years in prison on wrongful convictions of murder and armed robbery that have been tied to a police coverup. Lucien was freed by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Robert Ullmann, after a reexamination of the case by the Suffolk district attorneys office uncovered a deeply flawed investigation. 'Trial 4 is an eight-part docu-series that follows Sean K. Ellis, who spent around 22 years in jail after being wrongfully convicted of murdering Boston Police Detective John Mulligan, on his journey for justice. Other cases were overturned due to new DNA analysis or mistaken identifications by witnesses. In 2011, Kenneth tied the knot with a Boston native by the name of Lucy, before eventually moving to Tampa, Florida, to start a new life with her. Rosas testimony helped convict Sean, but just a few months later, the truth about Kenneths dirty work was exposed as The Boston Globe did a series on police corruption. So he went to prison, where he would remain for all these years, doing time for a crime he had firmly insisted he never committed. In exchange for his testimony, Brazil received immunity, serving no time. Rollinss office pointed to 14 cases in which defendants have been granted some type of relief, which has included vacated convictions, parole, downgraded charges, or being released from prison while a judge weighs the merits of a new trial. Foley was still on the force in 2011 when he died from pancreatic cancer. It chronicles the tale of Sean Ellis, who as a troubled teen was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Detective John Mulligan. Luciens attorney suggested in a court filing that Brazil may have stolen money from the murder scene and then falsified evidence to hide the theft. The clothing of the victim who was shot at point-blank range was never tested for gunpowder, which is standard procedure. Motion for a new trial pending. In 2019, Suffolk prosecutors secured a conviction against Kevin Otto and the company he owned, Atlantic Drain Services Company, for manslaughter in the deaths of employees Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks in a trench collapse at a South End excavation site in 2016. Released. But the fact of the matter is that when Detective John Mulligan was executed on duty on September 26, 1993, Kenneth inserted himself into the investigation to ensure that no one dug deep into his fellow officer. Lucien, 48, had been sentenced to a life sentence for the 1994 murder of Ryan Edwards, 23, who was shot, according to WCVB-TV. November 11, 2020 Netflix's 'Trial 4 explores Sean K. Ellis' story of how he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Boston Police Detective John Mulligan at the age of 19, and how, for the next two decades, he fought for his freedom and justice. At 19, he was put on trial three times within a year before being found guilty. Although, we do think that no matter where he is, he has tried his best to move on from his past decisions, and how they led to the wrongful convictions of two innocent men. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said a former Boston police officer involved in Lucien's case, Det. When the Commonwealth which includes law enforcement lies, cheats and steals, the Commonwealth should not be able to benefit from those unconstitutional, unethical, or criminal acts.. But not in this case. He can be reached at adrian.walker@globe.com. John Brazil to determine if he committed perjury in cases in which he testified on behalf of the Commonwealth. 7 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat The Brazil investigation is being conducted by the Integrity Review Bureau, which Rollins established in 2019 to review past cases and convictions in which people claimed to be innocent, and law enforcement officers with questionable credibility provided testimony. I made that phone call. While no criminal violations were found regarding the deaths of the two men, our investigation revealed willful omissions in the Mattocks-Higgins Affidavit of Workplace Safety the company was obligated to file with the City to obtain their permit. The victims sister, Judith Richards, told the Globe she was upset that the district attorney had reopened what she described as a premeditated robbery and murder case that tore her family apart. All of these actions where felonies and frauds upon the court. 4 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat But its clear to me justice may not have been done.. Served 47 years. If I was convinced in any way that James Lucien fired the fatal shot, this would be an easy decision for me to deny the motion, Ullmann said from the bench as he dismissed murder and armed robbery charges against Lucien. A few months after the trial, Brazils credibility evaporated. Follow him on Twitter @Adrian_Walker. Curious to know where he is now? The family of Ryan Edwards, the victim, is not happy about the overturning of Luciens conviction. At that point, Ellis had served 22 years in prison already. Recycling Center, 18-Year-Old Killed, 5 Others Injured in Lawrence House Party Shooting. Boston police also declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. The corruption of John Brazil continues to harm people in Suffolk County still some three decades later, said DA Rollins. Kenneth Acerra allegedly also made use of Rosa Sanchez as a witness.