Gregg Miliote (District Attorney's Office)

Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide, which occurred early this afternoon in Fall River and Westport.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that at around 12:30 p.m. today, Alfred Arruda Jr., 43, of 80 Edmund St., Fall River, shot his brother, David Arruda, and his aunt, Barbara Platt, outside of the home they all shared with the Arruda’s parents at 80 Edmund St. Specific ages for both victims are unavailable at this time.

District Attorney Sam Sutter announced today that Robert Roy, 46, was convicted by a jury of his peers this afternoon of first degree murder. Mr. Roy was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Robert T. Kane to serve life in prison, with no possibility of parole.

Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, announced that Bryan James, 37, of New Bedford, was sentenced today in Taunton Superior Court by Judge Barbara Dortch-Okara to serve 12 to 15 years in state prison for having assaulted a 3 year-old girl in 2007. The defendant was also sentenced to serve 15 years probation to begin upon his release.

Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter announced that Bryan James, 37, of New Bedford, was convicted by a jury of his peers today for assaulting a 3-year-old girl in 2007.

The jury returned its verdict this afternoon around 4:30. Mr. James was convicted of three counts of assault and battery of a child---causing substantial injury and one count of simple assault and battery.

Mr. James will be sentenced in Taunton Superior Court Monday at 3 p.m. He will be held in jail without bail over the weekend.

The defendant was accused of biting off his girlfriend's daughter's upper lip and of assaulting her enough times to deform the girl's ears. The girl also sustained bruises to her arms during the assaults, all of which occurred inside the home Mr. James shared with his girlfriend on Newcomb Street in New Bedford.

Second Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman, who is the Chief of District Attorney Sutter's Abuse Unit, prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth.

The trial lasted two full weeks.

Westport Police received a 911 call around 11 p.m. Sunday regarding shots fired at the Oriental Pearl Restaurant, 576 State Road.

Upon arrival police located one deceased male and an injured female inside the restaurant.

The male, who has been identified as Paul Murphy, 64, of Fall River, is alleged to have shot his estranged wife Joan Murphy, 57, of Fall River. He then, according to a preliminary investigation, turned the gun on himself.

Joan Murphy was rushed to Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River before being transferred to Rhode Island Hospital. She was in critical condition early this morning.

The investigation into the incident, which remains ongoing, is being conducted by the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, the State Police Unit assigned to the district attorney's office and Westport Police.

The Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association has elected Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter its new Vice President for 2010. Timothy Cruz, the Plymouth County District Attorney, was elected President. Each term will last one year. Sutter is currently entering the final year of his first term as Bristol County District Attorney, which began on January 4, 2007 after he defeated a 16-year incumbent in the election of 2006.

Yesterday, the Bristol County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Laura Lundquist, 98, with the second degree murder of 100-year-old Elizabeth Barrow. That indictment was received today by Judge Lloyd MacDonald in the New Bedford Superior Court. Upon review of this matter, the Court ordered Ms. Lundquist to be transported to the Taunton State Hospital for a competency evaluation prior to her arraignment.

A Bristol County Grand Jury today returned an indictment charging 98-year-old Laura Lundquist with second degree murder in connection to the September 24, 2009 homicide of 100-year-old Elizabeth Barrow at the Brandon Woods Nursing Home in Dartmouth.

Matthew Rufino, 24, of New Bedford and Jason Foley, 28, of Fairhaven, were both found dangerous and ordered held without bail for up to 90 days during their respective dangerousness hearings today.

District Attorney Sam Sutter announced today that a tractor trailer loaded with about 200 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $180,000, was seized at an undisclosed location in Dartmouth yesterday afternoon around 2 p.m.


Information provided by Detective Dennis Ledo of the New Bedford Police Department and Detective Robert Jacobs of the Fall River Police Department in conjunction with the Bristol District Attorney’s Office State Police Narcotics Unit, State Police Truck Team, Dartmouth Police and ICE agents led to the arrest of two individuals.

Ricardo Zamora, 61, and Joseph Zamora, 42, both of Wilder, Idaho, were charged with trafficking in marijuana and conspiracy to violate the drug laws. They were both arraigned in New Bedford District Court today, and ordered held on $50,000 cash bail.

Because the matter remains under investigation, we will be unable to provide any further information on this case at this time.

District Attorney Sam Sutter announced today that Pedro Mateo-German, 34, of no known address, was sentenced to serve 18 to 20 years in state prison after being convicted at trial of trafficking more than 200 grams of heroin and more than 100 grams of cocaine.

District Attorney Sam Sutter delivered the keynote address at the Massachusetts Police Association’s 109th Annual Convention in Springfield last Friday.

District Attorney Sutter---invited to speak before hundreds of police officers by the association’s board of directors---discussed his office’s successful crackdown on illegal guns in Bristol County, his continued push for legislation aimed at allowing prosecutors throughout the commonwealth to request dangerousness hearings when a defendant is charged with an illegal gun felony and his office’s renewed partnership with local and state police departments.

On September 24th at approximately 7 AM, state and local police were called to the Brandon Woods Nursing Home, 567 Dartmouth St. in Dartmouth for an unattended death. Upon arrival, police were notified that the victim, Elizabeth Barrow, 100, was found deceased in her bed by a nursing assistant during a routine check of the facility’s patients.

Her body was transported to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy, the results of which revealed that the cause of death was manual strangulation and the manner of death, a homicide. The State Police Detectives Unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter’s office, in conjunction with the Dartmouth police are engaged in an ongoing investigation of this matter.

No further information will be released at this time.

The Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) of Bristol County will be holding a fundraiser on Thursday, October 22, 2009. The event will be hosted by Lazy Boy Furniture Galleries and Cardoza’s Wine and Spirits. A wine and beer tasting event will be held from 5-8 pm to benefit the work done by the CAC.

Thursday, September 24th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., “Traffick Jam” at the Our Lady of Assumption Church, 56 South 6th Street. The Traffick Jam is a community workshop developed by Citizens for Safety, a Massachusetts-based organization that strives to keep guns out of the hands of children and criminals without abridging the rights of responsible legal gun owners.

The workshop will bring city residents together with law enforcement and faith leaders to raise awareness about illegal firearms in our community, state and nation. Special guests at the Traffick Jam include District Attorney Sam Sutter, Mayor Scott Lang, New Bedford Police Chief Ronald Teachman and Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke. Residents are urged to either RSVP by calling Citizens for Safety at 617-233-5363 or arrive early.

Since District Attorney Sam Sutter announced an innovative new volunteer initiative at his office nearly two years ago, his prosecutors, managers and other staffers have spent more than 5,300 hours volunteering their time with 75 different agencies throughout Bristol County.

The New Bedford Faith Community---with strong support from Mayor Scott Lang’s office, District Attorney Sam Sutter’s office and the New Bedford Police Department---today announced a three-week long multi-pronged initiative aimed at curbing violence and the use of illegal guns in New Bedford.

District Attorney Sam "sudder" Sutter washes dishes and makes suds at Shawmut Diner, New Bedford.

Sam, a big Arizona Cardinals fan, made a friendly wager with the area's biggest Steelers fan, Carl Alves, on this past season Super Bowl.

As a means to pay up on his friendly wager, the DA had to wash dishes at the diner and serve customers. He, Carl Alves and others from the Shannon Grant committee used this event as a way to bring attention to the Youth Court and to raise funds for the Youth Court scholarship.

On Friday, August 21 around 4:30 p.m., Fairhaven Police responded to a home at 85 Howland St. regarding a male stabbing victim.

Preliminary investigation has revealed Keith D. Correia, 39, of 85 Howland St., was the victim of a stabbing inside the home. He was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford where he was pronounced dead.

A 60-year-old New Bedford man has been ordered held without bail in connection to a double homicide, which occurred Friday night outside of an apartment complex at 332-A Smith St. in New Bedford.

A 60-year-old New Bedford man has been arrested in connection to a double homicide, which occurred Friday night outside of an apartment complex at 332-A Smith St. in New Bedford.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the State Police Unit assigned to this office are investigating a fatal police-involved shooting, which occurred on Milton Street in Dartmouth last night around 9:30 p.m.

District Attorney Sam Sutter and Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Investigations in Boston today announced details of “Operation Lightning Bolt,” an undercover wire interception investigation into an illegal drug trafficking enterprise in the Greater New Bedford area. The investigation has already resulted in the arrest of twelve individuals, with about a dozen others currently being sought... WATCH VIDEO OF PRESS CONFERENCE

BOSTON – Today, District Attorney Sam Sutter joined with Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and a coalition of legislators, District Attorneys, and law enforcement organizations, to announce the filing of An Act to Combat Economic Crime, comprehensive economic crime legislation designed to give law enforcement the necessary tools to investigate and prosecute sophisticated criminal activities and enterprises in the 21st century. The bill, which is sponsored by 12 legislators, several District Attorneys, and the Attorney General, specifically updates the law in three areas, including money laundering, enterprise crime, and wire interception.

District Attorney Sam Sutter and a host of other community leaders from throughout Bristol County and the state will be testifying before the Joint Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon in support of a bill filed by Sen. Mark Montigny which aims to allow district attorneys throughout the state to request dangerousness hearings for those charged with illegal gun crimes.



The testimony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in the Gardner Auditorium at the Massachusetts State House.

District Attorney Sam Sutter and a host of other community leaders from throughout Bristol County and the state will be testifying before the Joint Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon in support of a bill filed by Sen. Mark Montigny which aims to allow district attorneys throughout the state to request dangerousness hearings for those charged with illegal gun crimes.

District Attorney Sam Sutter announced that Earl Pratt, 54, of New Bedford, was sentenced to serve 25 to 30 years in state prison yesterday afternoon after being convicted of forcible rape of a child.

Mr. Pratt was convicted Monday in New Bedford Superior Court after a week-long trial.

State and Local Police are investigating the death of 54-year-old New Bedford resident Celeste Sullivan, who was struck and killed by a SRTA bus this morning in New Bedford shortly after 9 a.m.

The incident occurred at the SRTA Bus Station, located at 134 Elm St., New Bedford. Preliminary investigation revealed the victim was struck by the front end of the bus. New Bedford EMS arrived shortly after the incident occurred, at which time the victim was declared deceased.

District Attorney Sam Sutter that both Corey Princiotta, 20, of East Bridgewater and Mark Goulart, 19, of New Bedford, were both ordered held without bail during their respective arraignments today in New Bedford District Court.

District Attorney Sam Sutter and New Bedford Police Chief Ronald Teachman announced today that two men have been apprehended in connection with the June 20th homicide of 32-year-old John Martin at the Petro Mart on Coggeshall Street in New Bedford.

Mr. Martin was shot during an attempted robbery at the convenience store/gas station on June 20th. He died a day later at Rhode Island Hospital.