Attorney Breen will continue to focus her practice in the areas of family law and bankruptcy. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Donovan O Connor & Dodig, LLP announced the addition of three new attorneys: Jennifer M. Breen; Kyle G. Christensen; and Mark Leonhard. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and B.S. Psychology from Utica College in 2001 and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston in 2004. After her admission to the Massachusetts Bar in 2004, Attorney Breen joined the Middlesex County District Attorney s Office in Cambridge. In 2007, she decided to return to her hometown of North Adams opening Breen Law Office & Mediation, where she focused on family law and bankruptcy. Attorney Breen served as a City Councilor in North Adams from 2011- 2015 and continues to volunteer for various organizations and task forces, including the Berkshire County Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force and the Pro Bono for the Child Program.
Fall River Man, 18, Killed in Dartmouth Crash
DARTMOUTH Authorities are investigating a fatal crash on Route 6 in Dartmouth Friday night that claimed the life of an 18-year-old man from Fall River.
Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said that according to preliminary crash reconstruction, a 2003 Lexus ES300 was traveling west on State Road (Route 6) at about 9:45 p.m. on Friday, January 29. As the vehicle approached Route 177, the driver failed to negotiate a curve, went off the road, and struck a utility pole.
A rear-seat passenger, an 18-year-old male from Fall River, was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, where he was pronounced deceased. His name has not yet been released; it is expected that the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office will release his name once next of kin have been notified.
The suspect in her kidnapping was shot in Crestview in November.
She was last seen Oct. 20 entering a car rented from a Boston airport by Luis Zaragoza, 37, who police say kidnapped her and later killed her, according to the Bristol County District Attorney s Office.
Zaragoza was shot and killed by law enforcement on Nov. 5 at a Crestview McDonald s after officials said he fired at Okaloosa County Sheriff s Office deputies and U.S. Marshals Service agents in an arrest attempt on kidnapping charges related to Finklea s disappearance, according to a news release.
The autopsy performed at the District 19 Medical Examiner s Office in Fort Pierce showed Finklea was shot twice in the head, according to the medical official s report.
In its first decision on a commutation petition in almost seven years, the Massachusetts Parole Board recommended commuting the life in prison sentence of Thomas Koonce. The decision was unanimous.
The board cited Koonce s commitment to self improvement and self development while he was incarcerated and the level of support expressed in letters and during his commutation hearing in October.
The parole board said that Koonce has been incarcerated for 28 years for a single act of violence. In support of its decision, the board cited the numerous programs Koonce has been involved with in prison, including getting his college degree.