A person convicted of killing a Whitey Bulger extortion sufferer by placing cyanide potassium in his espresso has misplaced his attraction in entrance of the state’s Supreme Judicial Court docket.
William Camuti was sentenced to life in jail a number of years in the past for the first-degree homicide of Stephen Rakes, who was scheduled to testify in Bulger’s federal trial in 2013.
Throughout the Bulger trial that July, Camuti killed Rakes after they have been assembly in Waltham over a enterprise deal. Authorities say Camuti gave Rakes an iced espresso laced with potassium cyanide, and dumped his physique in a wooded space.
Now greater than a decade later, Camuti referred to as on the Supreme Judicial Court docket to order a brand new trial or scale back his conviction of first-degree homicide to a lesser diploma.
“The defendant raises two principal claims in this direct appeal from his convictions,” the SJC wrote in its ruling on Wednesday. “First, he argues that sure proof ought to have been suppressed at trial as a result of it was the product of unconstitutional searches carried out pursuant to warrants not supported by possible trigger.
“Second, he contends that statements he made during two police interviews also should have been suppressed, because the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt both that his waivers of his Miranda rights were voluntary, knowing, and intelligent, and that the statements themselves were voluntary,” the SJC added. “We discern no error in the denial of the defendant’s motions to suppress.”
The justices affirmed the convictions, and declined Camuti’s request for a brand new trial.
Rakes had hoped to testify in Bulger’s 2013 trial however wasn’t referred to as by prosecutors. Bulger was sentenced to 2 life phrases within the racketeering case.
Authorities say Rakes’ loss of life was the results of a enterprise dispute, and was not tied to the Bulger case.
Camuti and Rakes had been mates for about 30 years, and labored on actual property ventures collectively. Throughout the Bulger trial, they met at a Waltham quick meals spot for iced espresso. Camuti reportedly owed Rakes about $100,000 on the time.
Camuti reportedly informed detectives that “he had put cyanide potassium in the victim’s coffee at the Waltham restaurant; that the victim thereafter died in the defendant’s car; and that he had driven around with the victim’s body for the rest of the day,” in accordance with the court docket.
A search of Camuti’s pc turned up greater than 100 outcomes for the time period “cyanide.” These included a webpage that contained an in depth reply to the question, “Can I mix potassium or potassium cyanide in hot coffee or hot tea and drink it? Will it work?”
The SJC ended up disagreeing with Camuti’s argument to suppress the proof obtained from searches of his residence, car, cellular phone, and cellular phone information. The justices additionally dominated towards him about suppressing statements he made to police from his hospital mattress.
The SJC wrote, “… The totality of the circumstances demonstrates that the defendant’s waivers of his Miranda rights were voluntary, knowing, and intelligent, and that his statements were voluntary.”
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