Mass law enforcement misconduct news, May 11-17

Here are the media reports of alleged law enforcement misconduct in Massachusetts that I’ve tracked during the last week.

The latest on the State Police cover-up

• “The Middlesex County DA’s Office spent more than $20,000 on an independent investigation into its handling of a fatal cruiser crash, according to a Herald public records request. The Herald also requested audio and transcripts of interviews done as a part of the investigation, but that information was withheld pending a discovery hearing [on May 13] regarding what evidence in the officer’s motor vehicle homicide case will be released publicly.” (Boston Herald)
• “A Middlesex Superior Court judge on [May 13] said he will authorize prosecutors to release potentially exculpatory information about State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley to more than 140 defendants — including those in the high‑profile Phan murder case — but only after sensitive personal data is removed.” (Lowell Sun)

More misconduct allegations

• “The Dalton Police Department has suspended routine mutual aid responses to Hinsdale, citing years of concerns about accountability and officer safety stemming from the fatal police shooting of Biagio Kauvil in January. Hinsdale officials have not responded to Dalton Police Chief Deanna Strout about her decision, she said.” (Berkshire Eagle; paywalled)
• “Thomas Rosa of Chelsea, who was only officially absolved in March of the 1985 murder of Gwendolyn Taylor of Dorchester [on May 11] sued the state for the 34 years he spent in prison for her murder. In his suit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, Rosa is seeking the maximum $1 million fee state law allows for wrongful imprisonment, along with expungement of his conviction from state records, state-funded medical and mental-health care, at least 50% off any classes at state colleges, housing assistance and attorney's fees.” (Universal Hub)
• “A woman who worked as a Boston Police officer was sentenced to a year of probation on [May 13] for lying to investigators about her contact with Lance Holloman, the father of her child, on the day he is accused of killing two people in 2017. The sentencing came after Monicka Stinson, 46, pleaded guilty to a single charge of felony witness intimidation on April 27, court records show.” (MassLive)
• “The Boston police officer [Nicholas O’Malley] charged with manslaughter in a deadly March police shooting in Dorchester plans to defend himself by saying he was acting in self-defense and in defense of his partner, records show.” (NBC10 Boston)
• “A top [Worcester] county prosecutor [Terry McLaughlin] and a retired Worcester detective [Sgt. Mark Richardson] took the stand Thursday, May 14, at a hearing ordered by the state’s highest court on allegations that evidence was withheld in a 2015 murder case. At issue is whether a new trial is warranted for Donovan Goparian, the man convicted in 2020 of killing and burning a Webster woman who’d allegedly hired him to kill or maim her husband. Appellate lawyers allege authorities, both before and after trial, withheld exculpatory evidence to which Goparian is entitled, going so far as to accuse prosecutors of destroying evidence.” (Telegram & Gazette; paywalled)
• “The town of Milford has reached a tentative $2.75 million agreement to pay a police sergeant who sued the town on allegations of gender discrimination. However, the agreement is tentative because the money has to be approved by Town Meeting voters. … [Kara Maguire] alleged she was passed over for several promotions throughout her career, was under greater scrutiny because she was a woman, was harassed due to her gender, and wasn’t afforded the same training opportunities of her male counterparts.” (Milford Daily News)
• “Karen Read’s lawyers struck a deal with the Town of Canton over their request for documents concerning a sergeant in the town’s police department who has been on leave since November, court records show. In April, Read’s team asked a judge to force the town to hand over documents about its investigation into Sgt. Sean Goode so she could use them for her defense in the wrongful death lawsuit she faces.” (MassLive)

Other News

Federal judge considers dismissing Trump admin lawsuit challenging Boston “sanctuary” policy (WBUR)

Federal Judge Leo Sorokin is weighing arguments that could spell the end of the Justice Department’s “sanctuary city” case against the city of Boston and the Boston Police department — one of a dozen lawsuits filed against local and state governments that place guardrails on police collaboration with immigration agents. …

Sorokin on [April 13] heard arguments regarding Boston’s motion to dismiss, which hinges on a claim that the government is trying to infringe on the city's ability to allocate its own resources, and looking to force Boston to comply with requests to help ICE with civil detainers.

Healey admin won’t issue confidential license plates to ICE (GBH)

The Healey administration is pushing back against pressure from the Department of Justice to allow federal immigration authorities to get confidential and undercover license plates and registrations. …

A letter from Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate to Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell on [May 12] said that the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles is refusing to issue such registrations and licenses plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and is only issuing them to Homeland Security investigations after they certify vehicles will only be used in criminal investigations.

Cape Cod judge charged with domestic violence (Boston Herald)

The first justice of a Cape Cod district court is scheduled to be arraigned on domestic violence-related charges in Boston [this] week.

Judge Robert A. Welsh III, the first justice of Orleans District Court, faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person 60 or older and assault and battery on a household or family member.

Former Mass Department of Correction lawyer charged with child rape (Enterprise)

A former attorney for the Massachusetts Department of Correction has been indicted by a Grand Jury on seven child sex crimes, including incest and rape, court records show.

Daniel J. Dufresne was arraigned in Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton on Wednesday, May 6, on two counts of incest, four counts of aggravated rape of a child and one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, according to court records.

MBTA escalator kills man after no one intervenes (NBC10 Boston)

A little before 5 a.m. on Feb. 27, Steven McCluskey stepped onto an escalator and descended toward the subway platform at the MBTA's Davis Station in Somerville, Massachusetts.

The escalator ride would be the final moments of the 40-year-old’s life. …

According to the video, more than 22 minutes had passed by the time an MBTA employee appeared at the bottom of the escalator and pressed the emergency stop button.

State auditor can hire attorney to represent her office in legal fight to audit legislature (GBH)

The Massachusetts auditor will be able to use a special prosecutor to try to compel the Legislature to comply with an audit, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said [on May 12].

After more than a year of acrimonious wrangling over a voter-approved law that gives the state auditor the authority to audit the Massachusetts Legislature, Campbell said that she will allow Auditor Diana DiZoglio to hire a special attorney general to represent her in her standoff with the House and Senate. Lawmakers have refused to comply with DiZoglio’s audit request.

Boston city council opposes social-media age-verification bill (Universal Hub)

The Boston City Council [on May 13] unanimously voted for a non-binding resolution calling on the state legislature and Gov. Healey to stop pushing social-media legislation councilors say would only harm LGBTQ teens and immigrants and open all residents up to data breaches and government abuse of their information while failing to do anything about the rapacious social-media companies that are doing actual harm.

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U.S. media outlets were crucial in helping Israel sell the Gaza genocide to the American public.

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— The Intercept (@theintercept.com) May 12, 2026 at 8:56 AM

sign of the times

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— Andrew Quemere (@andrewqmr.bsky.social) May 13, 2026 at 1:10 PM

Don't you love the #Massachusetts State Police's automated response to emailed public records requests that tries to browbeat you into using their portal by saying that emailed requests “may not be received in a timely manner”? What is this even supposed to mean?

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— Andrew Quemere (@andrewqmr.bsky.social) May 12, 2026 at 4:05 PM

That’s all for now.