Ballistics expert testifies in Irish construction worker murder trial
By Sinéad Ní Fheallaigh
The trial of the 19-year-old accused in the murder of an Irishman in the fall of 2011 resumed on Monday, March 24, at Suffolk Superior Court, Boston.
Teenager John Graham is charged with the first-degree murder of Irishman Ciarán Conneely, known as Kiwi, 36, during a botched robbery attempt in the early hours of October 10, 2011.
Conneely, a construction worker, had been living in the U.S for over 12 years and had been moments away from his Dorchester home when he was callously shot dead. He was returning home from an Irish festival.
Graham, has also been charged with eight other offenses including shooting two other men later in October 2011.Both of those victims survived that attack but now live with the bullets lodged in their body.
Prosecutor Ian Polumbaum called members of the Boston Police Department up to the witness stand.
These officers had been part of the investigation team in either one or both of the incidents in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston in October 2011.
Defense Lawyer Robert Sheketoff cross examined the ballistics expert when he took the stand. A projectile recovered from one of the latter shooting victims was ballistically linked to the projectile that killed Conneely.
Detective Martin Lyndon, of the Boston Police Department firearm analysis unit, determined in his examination that the bullet used to kill Conneely on October 10 and the bullet fragments retrieved from the two victims on October 30, 2011 came from the same gun. He was able to determine this due to the characteristics the bullets in each incident shared.
Sheketoff, pressed the detective to confirm how many people could have used this particular gun the bullets came from, Lyndon admitted that despite being able to confirm that the bullets came from the same firearm, he did not know as there was no gun to examine.
Later in the day, the Honorable Judge Giles informed the jury that the last remaining witness, a pathologist from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, will give their testimony tomorrow and it is likely that if the defense chooses not to call witnesses, jurors will hear closing arguments. She advised them that once they have received instructions from the court, they will be given as much time as needed to deliberate on 'a true and just' verdict in this trial.
Trial continues on Tuesday March 25.
Teenager John Graham is charged with the first-degree murder of Irishman Ciarán Conneely, known as Kiwi, 36, during a botched robbery attempt in the early hours of October 10, 2011.
Conneely, a construction worker, had been living in the U.S for over 12 years and had been moments away from his Dorchester home when he was callously shot dead. He was returning home from an Irish festival.
Graham has also been charged with eight other offenses, including shooting two other men later in October 2011. Both of those victims survived that attack, but now live with the bullets lodged in their bodies.
Prosecutor Ian Polumbaum called members of the Boston Police Department to the witness stand. These officers had been part of the investigation team in either one or both of the incidents in Dorchester in October 2011.
Defense Lawyer Robert Sheketoff cross-examined the ballistics expert when he took the stand. A projectile recovered from one of the latter shooting victims was ballistically linked to the projectile that killed Conneely.
Detective Martin Lyndon, of the Boston Police Department firearm analysis unit, determined in his examination that the bullet used to kill Conneely on October 10 and the bullet fragments retrieved from the two victims on October 30, 2011 came from the same gun.
He was able to determine this due to the characteristics the bullets in each incident.
Sheketoff pressed the detective to confirm how many people could have used the particular gun the bullets came from. Lyndon admitted that despite being able to confirm that the bullets came from the same firearm, he did not know as there was no gun to examine.
Later in the day the Judge Giles informed the jury that the last remaining witness, a pathologist from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, would testify today (Tuesday). It is likely that if the defense chooses not to call witnesses, jurors will hear closing arguments.
She advised them that once they have received instructions from the court, they will be given as much time as needed to deliberate on 'a true and just' verdict in this trial.
Trial continues on Tuesday March 25.
Comments