November 3, 2007
Boston Blotter: Murders in Needham, Revere
--Needham went into lockdown yesterday when 78-year-old Robert J. Moore was murdered in his home, prompting a manhunt and a standoff with a suspicious man at Stone Hearth Pizza.
However, the guy at the pizza shop wasn't the killer. He was just acting nervous. During the standoff, a State Police K-9 unit was busy arresting William Dunn, 41, of Norwood, who had fled to a marsh. The Globe writes that Norwood Dunn was at the murdered man's home to install a sprinkler system when something went wrong. Moore's daughter-in-law was also beaten and is now in the hospital. The incident marks Needham's first homicide in 18 years.
One person told the Herald: "This happens in Boston. This isn’t supposed to happen in Needham." Yeah, well, it shouldn't be happening in Boston, either. Just because it doesn't happen to you too much doesn't mean it's okay as long as it happens in Boston.
--The man who was found stabbed to death in a Revere apartment yesterday morning has been identified as Jose Hernandez. Hernandez, an immigrant from El Salvador, was crashing there after work when he was stabbed during a party. Jose Moz, 27, of East Boston, has been arrested.
--Mimin Manavoglu, the owner of Stalex Pizza who was shot in the head by an 18-year-old robber, died last night. Gary Johnson, of Dorchester, held up the shop and got $60 bucks when Manavoglu ran after him, at which time Johnson shot him.
--Nine mysterious fires have broken out in Provincetown, and residents are worried an arsonist has been setting them. That's bad enough, but Jenna Russell at the Globe writes that the town is especially worried because of all the "old, wooden structures built close together."
All charges alleged until proven under law.
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From http://bostoncriminal.wordpress.com
"There should be reason to feel safe in Needham, and there’s no reason to be fearful right now,” Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating told reporters gathered at the town police station.” So reports the Boston Globe this morning.
Unless, apparently, you want to have a sprinkler system installed, or buy a pizza and use your cell phone at the same time. While we’ll just have to wait and see why William Dunn allegedly beat his 78-year old customer to death (Needham’s first murder since the grisly Beldotti case), the more interesting question focuses on the yet-unidentified man captured outside Needham’s Stone Hearth Pizza. According to the story, written by Ralph Ranalli and Lisa Kocian, a Stone Hearth employee called the police because of the customer’s extremely suspicious actions, to wit:
1. He appeared to be in his mid 30s;
2. He ordered a small pizza;
3. He ordered a soda (no size given);
4. He changed his clothes in the bathroom–evidently putting a suit on, judging from the photos;
5. He kept walking to the windows and looking outside; and
6. He talked on his cell phone.
So, admittedly, the change in clothes is a little odd, as Republican supporters of Greg Hyatt will no doubt recall, but was the rest of what he did worth turning Needham Center into a Dog Day Afternoon rerun for most of the afternoon?
Maybe our friend should have ordered the large pizza–as everyone knows, only real troublemakers order the small ones.
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"The Globe writes that Norwood was at the murdered man's home..."
Dunn, not Norwood.
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his legal name is "Will B. Dunn". You can't make this stuff up...
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From http://bostoncriminal.wordpress.com
The Globe (thank you Mr. and Mrs. Ellement) did a much better job than the Herald this morning reporting on the sad case of the murder of 78-year-old Robert Moore, who was apparently beaten to death in his own cellar by William B. Dunn of Norwood, an employee of Mass Irrigation Company of Quincy, who was at Moore’s home working on Moore’s sprinkler system.
The Globe found a Norwood PD report revealing that Dunn was admitted to Carney Hospital for psychiatric treatment in August. Moore wandered away from the hospital, only to be found by police a day later walking near a Norwood cemetary. No word on what happened after the police returned him to the hospital, or whether Mass Irrigation knew of his difficulties before sending him out to deal with customers. Dunn’s family told police he was laboring under the delusion that he had “stumbled upon a stock scandal and that there were people after him”–a state of mind commonly seen among the staff of the Boston office of the SEC, but presumably less common among sprinkler guys.
This may be a case where an insanity defense might actually have some legs.