New England Public Radio

Hampden DA Releases DNA Image Of Suspect In 1992 Agawam Cold Case

Unable to solve the 1992 murder of an Agawam, Massachusetts woman, the Hampden District Attorney’s office has paid a contractor to create a computer-generated image of a suspect.

Using a technology known as DNA phenotyping, it’s based on DNA evidence found at the scene of Lisa Ziegert’s murder 24 years ago. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said the new image has revealed some identifying features including skin, hair and eye color.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

“This is not something that’s going to be used as evidence. It’s used in the criminal investigation stage to generate leads, to exclude suspects,” Gulluni said. “This is going to be used by investigators to great effect in the weeks and months to come as they take another view of the case in light of this forensic development.”

Gulluni declined to specifically say how much his department paid to have the image created. However, he said the cost is “not going to blow anyone’s socks off, but it’s not cheap either.”

District Attorney Opens Peck School Investigation

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced today he will open an investigation into reports of abuse of disabled students at the Peck School in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

“I became aware of those allegations, as did many people through media reports just last week. It was something that was unknown to folks in law enforcement, including myself. When I became aware of them, it obviously raised some red flags and was very troubling.”

Last week, the non-profit Disability Law Center released a report alleging a pattern of mistreatment by school staff. Gulluni says State Police will be leading the investigation, and he’s asking parents of Peck students to come forward with any information they think might be helpful.

 

For New England Public Radio reporter Karen Brown’s Peck School abuse allegations story, click here.

Hampden DA-Elect Gulluni Plans To Start A Community Dialogue

In a few weeks, Anthony Gulluni will be sworn in as Hampden County District Attorney. He’s been a prosecutor for more than five years, and will take over the office as relations between communities of color and law enforcement have gained national attention. During the campaign, Gulluni pledged to hold regular public meetings to reach out to everyone in the county. I asked him when he plans to start those meetings.

To hear my conversation with Gulluni, click on the audio player above.

Anthony Gulluni Wins Race For Hampden County DA

Anthony Gulluni will be the next District Attorney in Hampden County. He won the four-way Democratic primary last night, and faces no Republicans or Independents in November.

After results showed him holding a wide and steady lead over his three opponents, Gulluni walked into a packed room of supporters at Samuel’s bar at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Gulluni said he was excited, and “I’m just so happy and thankful to the voters first and foremost, and the people who helped me, and my family and friends. It’s an incredible feeling, very gratifying.”

Gulluni beat out 3 opponents in the race, with 45 percent of the vote. Brett Vottero was the closest runner up, with 28 percent. Vottero says he was disappointed with the low turnout in the race.

“The district attorney has a profound impact on the economic vitality of the city,” said Vottero. “Addressing crime is the first step towards bringing out economic vitality back. So to me, this race should have received a lot more attention from the media, from the business community, from the citizens.”

Vottero, who also lost the 2010 Democratic primary for DA, was clearly sad about the loss, but went with another candidate, Shawn Allyn, to Gulluni’s party to congratulate the winner.

According to the Springfield Republican newspaper, Anthony Gulluni will the youngest ever Hampden DA, at 33 years old. But he’s not exactly an outsider. He’s been an assistant DA for nearly six years, he was endorsed by former Hampden DA Bill Bennett, and in a speech to supporters, Gulluni profusely thanked a top aide to Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Jim Leydon, who he called an adviser.

With the race over, Gulluni says his next step is to get some rest. After that?

“We’ll start thinking about getting things organized, and carrying out the job the voters have given us, and carrying out our campaign promises,” Gulluni said.

Gulluni will officially take office in January. He replaces interim D-A James Orenstein, who’s been running the office since former district attorney Mark Mastroianni was confirmed as a federal judge in June.

Winner of Hampden DA Race Faces A Hefty Caseload

Democratic voters in Hampden County will choose the area’s next district attorney in Tuesday’s primary, and the winner will face big challenges once in office.

MORE: New England Public Radio’s primary election voter guide

There’s been no public polling for the Hampden DA race, so it’s difficult to know who’s ahead. Shawn Allyn, Hal Etkin, Anthony Gulluni, and Brett Vottero all have a variety of legal experience, but none have held elected office. All are lawyers, and all but Allyn have worked for the Hampden DA in the past.

Current District Attorney James Orenstein says the winner will have to focus on hiring and retaining qualified prosecutors, particularly for homicides.

“We have, presently pending, approximately twenty homicide cases that are scheduled [for trial] sometime between now and the end of next year,” says Orenstein. “We have a number of unsolved homicide cases, including cold cases that we continue to work on.”

Orenstein is not running for the post, and neither are any Republicans or Independents, so the winner of the Democratic Primary will be the next DA.

Candidates For Hampden District Attorney Meet In NAACP Debate

The four candidates vying for the open District Attorney’s seat in Hampden County all agree the criminal justice system needs fixing. The candidates met in a debate hosted by the NAACP last night in Springfield.

The main challenge for candidates in this race will be to stand out. All four are white men, all are lawyers, all are Democrats. The candidates, Shawn Allyn, Hal Etkin, Anthony Gulluni, and Brett Vottero, also agreed on most issues. For example, the need to keep juvenile offenders from heading into an already overcrowded prison system.

“If we can keep a young person…out of jail, or out of prison, I think we’re being successful,” said Gulluni. “So the eye has to be on rehabilitation, because we can not incarcerate our way out of the current urban crime problem in particular.”

Brett Vottero, meanwhile focused on improving rehabilitation programs for those leaving prison.

“Right now, somebody comes out of prison, and if it’s a drug offense, they can’t get public housing, they can’t get educational loans, they can’t get public assistance, they can’t get a driver’s license,” said Vottero, “and then we are surprised when they come back in to the system.”

The candidates also each emphasized their work with diverse communities, and were asked after the debate to join the NAACP. Only Shawn Allyn was already a member. No Republicans or Independents are running, so the election will be decided in the Democratic primary on September 9th.