Woman Who Said She Had Bomb During South Hadley Bank Robbery Denied Bail: DA Woman Who Said She Had Bomb During South Hadley Bank Robbery Denied Bail: DA
Woman Who Said She Had Bomb During South Hadley Bank Robbery Denied Bail: DA A woman accused of robbing a Hampshire County bank by threatening to detonate a bomb was ordered held without bail on Monday, Dec. 16, authorities said.  Rosa Murillo, 26, pleaded not guilty in Eastern Hampshire District Court to charges of armed robbery and making a bomb threat, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.  Prosecutors allege Murillo entered the Westfield Bank on Willimansett Street on Wednesday, Dec. 11, and demanded $5,000, warning the teller that a bomb would go off if her demands were not met. The alarming incident prompted a multi-department investigat…
Beloved Thornwood Teacher Remembered For Positive Energy, Impact On Students Beloved Thornwood Teacher Remembered For Positive Energy, Impact On Students
Beloved Thornwood Teacher Remembered For Positive Energy, Impact On Students A beloved teacher who was a fixture at a Northern Westchester high school for decades is being remembered for her contagious positive energy and her tremendous impact on her students throughout her long career.   Elizabeth “Betsy” Groat of Ho-Ho-Kus in Bergen County died on Wednesday, Oct. 30 after a battle with cancer, according to her obituary.   Groat, who taught physical education and coached at Westlake High School in Thornwood, dedicated 38 years to inspiring and supporting student-athletes in the Mount Pleasant School District, according to a GoFundMe page created in her honor that i…
Man Who Gunned Down Mom, Infant In Hartford Drive-By Busted In Puerto Rico: Police Man Who Gunned Down Mom, Infant In Hartford Drive-By Busted In Puerto Rico: Police
Man Who Gunned Down Mom, Infant In Hartford Drive-By Busted In Puerto Rico: Police A 23-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a young mother and her infant son in Connecticut was arrested in Puerto Rico, authorities announced. Lance Morales, the suspect in the drive-by shooting that killed 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado and her 4-month-old son, Messiah Diaz, was taken into custody Saturday, Nov. 23, by the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Marshal Service said.  He was found at a home in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and is being held on a $3 million bond. The incident unfolded earlier this week when officers responded to Hartford Hospital after a vehicle arriv…
Becket Woman ID'd As Victim In Fatal Collision With Cement Truck Becket Woman ID'd As Victim In Fatal Collision With Cement Truck
Becket Woman ID'd As Victim In Fatal Collision With Cement Truck Authorities have identified a 74-year-old Massachusetts woman killed in a head-on collision earlier this week in Hampshire County, authorities said.  Cynthia Jensen, of Becket in Berkshire County, was killed just after 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, in the town of Huntington, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.  Jensen, who was in a compact car, collided with a cement truck driven by a 59-year-old Huntington Man on Pond Brook Road near Old Town Road.  Paramedics rushed Jensen to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton and later to Baystate Medi…
$1M Lottery Payday: Springfield Man Lands Major Jackpot Playing New Game $1M Lottery Payday: Springfield Man Lands Major Jackpot Playing New Game
$1M Lottery Payday: Springfield Man Lands Major Jackpot Playing New Game A new game from the Massachusetts State Lottery helped make a Springfield man a millionaire.  William Carpenter won $1 million this week playing the “$2,500,000 Merry & Bright,” a $10 scratch-off ticket.  Related: Taunton Man Is A Newly Minted Millionaire After Big Lottery Win Carpenter chose to take the lump sum payment of $650,000 (before taxes) rather than the annuity. He said he plans to put the money into his savings.  Carpenter bought the winning ticket at Sunoco at 336 Centre St. in Abington. The store will get a $10,000 bonus for the sale. 
Man Raped Woman In Middle Of Tolland Birthday Party: Police Man Raped Woman In Middle Of Tolland Birthday Party: Police
Man Raped Woman In Middle Of Tolland Birthday Party: Police A 42-year-old Massachusetts man is accused of plying a woman with alcohol at a Connecticut party before he forcibly raped her in a hot tub during a friend's birthday party, authorities said.  Luis Alberto Elicier, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was charged with first-degree sexual assault and first-degree unlawful restraint, Connecticut State Police said.  Elicier was at a small gathering of friends at a Tolland home for a birthday party on Thursday, Sept. 26. During the festivities, witnesses said Elicier seemed to make advances at a 29-year-old Connecticut woman by playing her f…
Teen Threatened To Shoot Up Springfield School, Showed Gun: Police Teen Threatened To Shoot Up Springfield School, Showed Gun: Police
Teen Threatened To Shoot Up Springfield School, Showed Gun: Police A day after a 14-year-old boy opened fire in a Georgia high school killing four people, a 15-year-old in Massachusetts threatened to do the same at a school in Springfield, authorities said.  Administrators at an unnamed charter school called police around 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, after learning of the threats. A student told them about the comments and shared a video that showed the teen with a gun, Springfield police said.  Officers searched the teen's home but did not find the weapon. Soon after, police were alerted to another teen who attends a different school and is fri…
Teen Who Killed Mom In Hit-Run Crash, Impaling Her On Springfield Cemetery Fence Busted: DA Teen Who Killed Mom In Hit-Run Crash, Impaling Her On Springfield Cemetery Fence Busted: DA
Teen Who Killed Mom In Hit-Run Crash, Impaling Her On Springfield Cemetery Fence Busted: DA A teenager accused of a hit-and-run crash into a 36-year-old woman earlier this week that sent her body tumbling through the air until it landed atop a cemetery fence was arrested, authorities said.  Nathan Colon, 18, of Springfield, was arrested at his home on Lakevilla Avenue and charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury crash causing death, and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, the Hampden District Attorney said.  He was being held on a $10,000 bond, authorities said.  Kristine Andrews was walking along Boston Road on Monday, Sept. 2, when she w…
Hartford Named Most Expensive City To Live In US, Another CT Locale Makes Top 5 Hartford Named Most Expensive City To Live In US, Another CT Locale Makes Top 5
Hartford Named Most Expensive City To Live In US, Another CT Locale Makes Top 5 For anyone looking for an affordable place to live, there are two places in Connecticut they may want to avoid, according to a new study.  Hartford ranks as the most expensive city in the United States with New Haven finishing in fourth, according to U.S. News & World Report. Joining them on the list are Los Angeles at No. 2, Miami at 3, and New York City at 5.  Nearby Boston is 9 with two other Massachusetts cities — Springfield and Worcester — also in the top 25.  Researchers looked at the average price of goods like groceries and transportation, along with r…
Man Struck, Killed On I-91 In Springfield ID'd As 54-Year-Old Man Struck, Killed On I-91 In Springfield ID'd As 54-Year-Old
Man Struck, Killed On I-91 In Springfield ID'd As 54-Year-Old Police have identified the man who they say was hit by a car and was killed while crossing I-91 South in Springfield Thursday morning, Aug. 8.  Dominic Brad, 54, of Hartford, Connecticut, was hit by a Toyota Corolla just after 2 a.m. near mile marker 4.8, Springfield police said.  Officers shut down I-91 South for hours as they cleaned, cleared, and investigated the crash. The road re-opened to normal traffic around 6 p.m.  Officers are investigating the circumstances that led up to the crash. 
Body Found Behind Springfield Park Body Found Behind Springfield Park
Body Found Behind Springfield Park The body of a man was found behind a park in Springfield on Monday morning, Aug. 5.  The man was found around 10:10 a.m. in a wooded area behind Blunt Park. Officers were called to the area to find the body. The man's name was not released.  Police did not disclose the cause of death or if it appeared he was the victim of an attack.  Springfield police are investigating the man's death. 
(UPDATE) 'Megan Will Be Greatly Missed': CT Teen Killed In Western Mass Crash ID'd; Funeral Set (UPDATE) 'Megan Will Be Greatly Missed': CT Teen Killed In Western Mass Crash ID'd; Funeral Set
(Update) 'Megan Will Be Greatly Missed': CT Teen Killed In Western Mass Crash ID'd; Funeral Set Update: A GoFundMe to help pay for Megan Davis' funeral has raised more than $20,000 as of Sunday, Aug. 4, surpassing its original goal.  More than 350 people have donated to the cause. Click here for more information on the campaign.  Original: A 17-year-old Connecticut girl who was killed in a Hampden County car crash earlier this week is being remembered for her bright smile that was only matched by her bright future.  Megan Davis, of Enfield, Connecticut, died on Sunday, July 28, after dying in a crash on North Blandford Road in Blandford, about 45 minutes west of S…