It's that time of the day again....
"Man wanted for Bridgewater murder arrested in Dominican Republic" by Olivia Arnold Globe Correspondent March 11, 2016
A Dorchester man wanted in the murder of a woman whose body was found burning next to train tracks in Bridgewater was arrested on Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, the US Marshals Service said on Thursday.
Fernando Owens, 43, was returned to the United States on Thursday after being indicted Tuesday in the murder and aggravated kidnapping of 29-year-old Ashley Bortner of New Jersey, the office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said.
Who's office said?
Bortner’s burning body was found on Nov. 3, 2015, next to MBTA train tracks in Bridgewater, Cruz’s office said. Her hands and feet had been bound behind her, she had been gagged, her face was wrapped in a towel, and more than 70 percent of her body had been burned in the fire, according to the district attorney.
Owens allegedly fled to the Dominican Republic where he “had ties” shortly after Bortner’s murder, according to the US Marshals Service.
Two other people, New Hampshire married couple Julian Squires, 41, and Shannon Squires, 39, were also indicted Tuesday in Bortner’s murder. The Squires, who were previously charged with accessory to murder, had their charges upgraded to one count each of murder and aggravated kidnapping, Cruz’s office said.
The Squires are currently being held on bail, the district attorney said.
Owens was identified as the “prime suspect,” according to the US Marshals Service. State Police determined that Owens was acquainted with Bortner, according to Cruz’s office.
The international manhunt for Owens got a break when US Marshals and State Police received information “leading them to believe he was hiding in the city of Santo Domingo,” authorities said.
US Marshals then contacted law enforcement personnel in the Dominican Republic, who were able to locate Owens and arrest him without incident.
Owens, now in the United States, is being held awaiting a transfer to a Massachusetts jail.
“I want to commend the deputies of the US Marshals Service and the officers of the Massachusetts State Police for their steadfast commitment to Owens’s apprehension in the Dominican Republican,” said John Gibbons, US Marshal for the District of Massachusetts. “This arrest clearly shows our resolve in returning anyone who commits a violent felony in our community and then attempts to flee justice.”
--more--"
Related: Bortner Was Owens Revenge
"Captured fugitive to be arraigned in Bridgewater murder" by Kathy McCabe Globe Staff March 11, 2016
BROCKTON — The captured fugitive accused of murdering a woman in retaliation for his son’s death will be returned to Massachusetts for prosecution in the coming days, authorities said Friday, as the victim’s mother demanded justice for the killing.
Fernando Owens, of Dorchester, allegedly killed Ashley Bortner, 29, in November, leaving her burning body beside train tracks in Bridgewater. Authorities say Owens killed Bortner the same day his 21-year-old son was gunned down in Dorchester in what appeared to be a targeted killing.
Owens, 43, was captured Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, ending an international manhunt that began when Bortner’s body was found in early November.
Timothy Cruz, the district attorney in Plymouth County, in a statement read aloud at a news conference, said Bortner’s mother, Tamara Pack, said her daughter, who would have turned 30 on Saturday, deserved justice.
“As a Christian woman, I have forgiven these people,” the statement read. “But justice still needs to be served for what they did.”
Pack thanked authorities for arresting her daughter’s alleged killers. Julian Squires, 41, and Shannon Squires, 39, a married couple from Manchester, N.H., were indicted this week on murder and kidnapping charges in Bortner’s death, and are being held without bail.
“We are so glad they are behind bars,” her statement read. “We want to deeply thank all involved in capturing him. Police don’t get enough thanks. I want to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication.”
Also see: White ex-trooper guilty in shooting of unarmed black man; Md. officer killed in police station attack
Makes the tears just well up in you.
Owens was returned to the United States Thursday by the US Marshals Service. He is being held in a state prison in New York, where he will be charged as a fugitive from justice. He will then be returned to Massachusetts to be arraigned on kidnapping and murder charges, authorities said.
Hours after Dominic Owens was shot on Nov. 3, his family gathered at the scene, and Fernando Owens was seen pacing around, visibly agitated and making calls on his cellphone, the Globe reported.
That night, Bortner’s body was found. Her face was covered in a towel, and an electrical cord was wrapped around her neck.
Fernando Owens and Bortner spoke 13 times by phone on the day she was killed, Cruz said. In a search of Owens’s home, police found a towel and electrical cord that were similar to those found at the crime scene.
!!!!????
Then they can't be the murder weapons, can they?
Cruz would not comment directly on the motive for the killing, but said Bortner and Dominic Owens did know each other.
“Fernando Owens did his own research after his son was found deceased, and focused relatively quickly” on Bortner, Cruz said.
Dominic Owens’s death remains under investigation. There have been no arrests, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s office.
Cruz said he did not know when Owens traveled to the Dominican Republic, but said he is not a citizen of that country.
“That was probably helpful in getting him back here, as quickly as we did,” Cruz said....
--more--"
Also see: Man held without bail in death of N.J. woman found burned
"Body of missing Mass. man pulled from Charles River" by Travis Andersen Globe Staff March 15, 2016
State Police on Tuesday pulled the body of a 22-year-old Central Massachusetts man from the Charles River, ending a desperate search by family members and officials after he went missing last month while celebrating his birthday at a bar in Boston.
In a brief statement, troopers said the body of Zachary Marr of the town of Harvard was recovered around 5:45 p.m. It was found in an area of the river between the State Police barracks in Leverett Circle and the Museum of Science.
Marr disappeared around 1:50 a.m. on Feb. 13 after stepping outside the Bell in Hand Tavern near Faneuil Hall to smoke a cigarette....
--more--"
"Family of Zachary Marr reflects on his death" by Andy Rosen Globe Staff March 16, 2016
HARVARD — Ten relatives of Zachary Marr filed into a conference room Wednesday afternoon at the local police station, some sobbing quietly as the young man’s father stepped forward to speak about the grim discovery of Marr’s body in the Charles River.
Matthew Marr described the mixture of heartbreak and relief that attended confirmation of the fate of his 22-year-old son, who disappeared in Boston last month while celebrating his birthday with cousins.
“Although it is not the outcome that we were praying for, we are grateful that Zach is coming home,” Matthew Marr said.
The search began with friends, family, and police canvassing Boston streets and distributing fliers after Marr disappeared from the Bell in Hand Tavern early Feb. 13 without his coat. But in recent weeks, the case had focused on the Charles.
Police said a surveillance video appeared to show Marr falling into the river, but aquatic teams searched the water for days and turned up nothing. Finally, two passersby spotted him in the water about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Is it possible he was murdered elsewhere at a later time and then dumped?
Just asking. I have no idea what happened, but this tale is odd and it's not like the pre$$ is going to do any investigating.
I guess it doesn't matter anyway; he's dead.
A day later, Matthew Marr urged anyone listening to be aware of the dangers of hypothermia.
Though investigators have not arrived at an explanation for how Marr wound up in the river, it was extremely cold the night he disappeared.
Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office, said, “the preliminary evidence of death is consistent with a fall into very cold water.”
Matthew Marr said the tragic episode should underscore the need for family members to cherish every bit of time they have together....
I don't want to Marr the moment, but I now need to put on my sneakers and rush on out of here because that is what I do every day with everyone in my life and every moment of my life.
--more--"
