Lawyers for man who spent 30+ years in Mass. prison call on DA to dismiss charges
Another potential wrongful conviction is coming to light in Suffolk County as a judge orders a new trial for a man who spent more than 30 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit.5 Investigates’ Mike Beaudet has been shining a light on this issue for years and he was present today as Thomas Rosa’s lawyers called on the district attorney to drop the charges entirely.At 62 years old, Rosa has spent more than half his life in prison for a crime he always insisted he did not commit. Rosa turned down multiple plea deals, thinking justice would prevail, but he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.On Monday he stood outside Suffolk County Superior Court, where his lawyers made the case for the District attorney’s office to not to retry Rosa.Rosa was a married father when he was convicted of the 1985 murder of Gwendolyn Taylor. He served 34 years in prison before being released in 2020 while a judge considered his motion for a new trial.“It is here that Mr. Rosa was tried three times,” said attorney Radha Natarajan. “But Mr. Rosa will not be available for questions today because even though his convictions were overturned based on evidence of innocence, he unfortunately still has very serious charges.”Natarajan is also executive director of the New England Innocence Project, which is representing Rosa, along with the Boston College Innocence Program.“This conviction was built on a house of cards with a foundation that has entirely fallen apart,” Natarajan said.The legal team pointed to multiple problems with the case, including unreliable eyewitnesses who claimed Rosa was the killer.“There are 36 Massachusetts exonerations on the National Registry of Exonerations that involve mistaken eyewitness identifications, and 22 of those 36 are in Suffolk County,” said Charlotte Whitmore, senior attorney at the Boston College Innocence Program.His legal team also raised issues of missing evidence.“Even though there was a court order requiring the District attorney‘s office to preserve all the evidence in this case, the District attorney‘s office lost a significant amount of physical evidence, including the murder weapon,” Natarajan said.When the judge vacated Rosa’s conviction last week, he said new DNA evidence was also a factor in his decision.The Suffolk County District attorney’s office told 5 Investigates that it is reviewing the judge’s ruling granting a new trial and will then decide whether or not to try the case again.
BOSTON —
Another potential wrongful conviction is coming to light in Suffolk County as a judge orders a new trial for a man who spent more than 30 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit.
5 Investigates’ Mike Beaudet has been shining a light on this issue for years and he was present today as Thomas Rosa’s lawyers called on the district attorney to drop the charges entirely.
At 62 years old, Rosa has spent more than half his life in prison for a crime he always insisted he did not commit. Rosa turned down multiple plea deals, thinking justice would prevail, but he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
On Monday he stood outside Suffolk County Superior Court, where his lawyers made the case for the District attorney’s office to not to retry Rosa.
Rosa was a married father when he was convicted of the 1985 murder of Gwendolyn Taylor. He served 34 years in prison before being released in 2020 while a judge considered his motion for a new trial.
“It is here that Mr. Rosa was tried three times,” said attorney Radha Natarajan. “But Mr. Rosa will not be available for questions today because even though his convictions were overturned based on evidence of innocence, he unfortunately still has very serious charges.”
New England Innocence Project
Thomas Rosa’s mugshot from his original arrest in 1985.
Natarajan is also executive director of the New England Innocence Project, which is representing Rosa, along with the Boston College Innocence Program.
“This conviction was built on a house of cards with a foundation that has entirely fallen apart,” Natarajan said.
The legal team pointed to multiple problems with the case, including unreliable eyewitnesses who claimed Rosa was the killer.
“There are 36 Massachusetts exonerations on the National Registry of Exonerations that involve mistaken eyewitness identifications, and 22 of those 36 are in Suffolk County,” said Charlotte Whitmore, senior attorney at the Boston College Innocence Program.
His legal team also raised issues of missing evidence.
“Even though there was a court order requiring the District attorney‘s office to preserve all the evidence in this case, the District attorney‘s office lost a significant amount of physical evidence, including the murder weapon,” Natarajan said.
When the judge vacated Rosa’s conviction last week, he said new DNA evidence was also a factor in his decision.
The Suffolk County District attorney’s office told 5 Investigates that it is reviewing the judge’s ruling granting a new trial and will then decide whether or not to try the case again.
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