Boston Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

The Lowell Sun reports that police have charged 21 year old John William Lomax III for the murder of University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard of Miami. According to reports, Howard was fatally stabbed while on campus at a school sponsored event. He currently faces charges of murder and conspiracy to commit assault. Two other men have also been charged in connection with Howard's death. Hakim Muhammad of Bloomfield has been charged with conspiracy to commit assault and Jamal Tood has been charged with pulling a fire alarm that emptied the dance which is what authorities believe led to the fatal stabbing. Lomaz's attorney maintains that his client is innocent and he was just trying to break up the fight.

In Massachusetts, if convicted for first degree murder a defendant is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. If you have been charged with any crime in Massachusetts it is important that you have an experienced defense attorney on your side. Pre-trial investigation is crucial to determining the best line of defense early on in the proceedings. For example, in this case interviewing witnesses as close to the event when memories are fresh is imperative to effectively representing the defendant. Although all of the facts are not known at this time, it appears that a defense of misidentification, self defense or defense of another would be viable areas to peruse to appropriately represent this defendant.