BOSTON — A man who stalked a waitress for months, then sent her a pipe bomb that killed her will not get a new trial, the state’s highest court ruled Friday.
The Supreme Judicial Court upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Peter Caruso in the death of Sandra Berfield.
Caruso was a regular at the Bickford’s restaurant in Medford where Berfield worked. After Berfield rejected Caruso’s request for a date, he began stalking her.
In January 2000, Berfield walked out to her front porch and picked up a package addressed to her. The pipe bomb inside exploded, killing her instantly.
The total assessed value for cities and towns in Massachusetts has exceeded $1 trillion for the first time, according to a credit rating agency, which reported that the growth is “credit positive” for municipalities. Moody’s Investor Service said the declaration reflects the state’s overall economic strength and noted that assessed values are a driver of local government tax revenues.
BOSTON — Police data indicates that there were 135 killings in Massachusetts last year, two more than in 2015.
The number of slayings remains among the lowest number of homicides in at least 12 years. Homicides statewide have fallen since 2010, which saw 220 killings.
From Associated Press and State House News Service