Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
Worcester police detectives have arrested and charged two people in connection with the shooting death of Michelle Diaz. The 21-year-old Worcester State College student was sitting in her car when she was shot in the neck. She died several days after the incident.
The two men arrested, 23-year-old William Madison and 24-year-old Cassie Ago, are each charged with one count of accessory before the fact to armed robbery and one count of accessory before the fact to murder. They are to be arraigned on Monday.
Police do not believe that Madison or Ago were involved in Diaz’s shooting. They do, however, think they were involved in events that led to her Massachusetts murder. They are still looking for the alleged shooter.
Accessory Before the Fact
An accessory before the fact usually involves the commissioning of or providing aid to a felony. Under state law (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 274, Section 2), the maximum penalty for accessory before the fact is the same as that of the principal felon of the actual crime. It is the prosecutor’s job to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone else (not the defendant) committed the crime and that the defendant either hired, advised, or played some other role that allowed that person to commit the felony and did so with the same intent that he/she would have had if he/she actually committed the crime.
2 Arrested In Connection With Deadly Neck Shooting, The Boston Channel, September 25, 2010
Murder charges lodged in college student death, Telegram.com, September 25, 2010
Related Web Resource:
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 274, Section 2
If you are charged with accessory before the fact to a Massachusetts crime, you must make sure that you have an experienced Boston criminal defense lawyer defending you.
