Saturday, November 23, 2013

Reap What You Sow

 Noah K. Pfister: home for the holidays

Eastern Hampshire District Court Judge John Payne denied the prosecution's "Motion for Pre-Trial Detention under MGL 276, Section 58A" in the assault case of Noah K. Pfister, accused slasher of  UMass student Henry Lancaster-Goguen, and set bail at $2,500.

The parents were in the courtroom on Friday to support their son, who was handcuffed and wearing leg shackles.  And they would need to scramble to find a Bank of America to post the cash bail, since the proceedings concluded around 4:00 PM.

The 58A hearing was called so the prosecution could present evidence that the defendant is dangerous and should be held in jail pending trial.  But the witnesses for the prosecution were hardly compelling with their testimony.

Victim Henry Lancaster-Goguen, age 21, admitted he was "very intoxicated" after attending parties at Townhouse Apartments and another at a house on Sunderland Road earlier in the evening.  When police first arrived at the 66 Pine Street location he told them a fall caused his injuries.

Asked to explain that discrepancy by the Prosecutor, Lancaster-Goguen explained he was in shock and "delusional" from the assault. 

He also admitted sending a text message threatening Pfister, age 24, and he could not remember who pushed first when the fight started.  And when asked by the prosecution how he would feel if his attacker were released on bail, Lancaster-Goguen replied, "slightly concerned". 

The most devastating testimony came from Pfister's girlfriend who had previously had a "physical relationship" with Lancaster-Goguen but had broken it off last summer.

She testified the victim had threatened Pfister, her new boyfriend, many times; called her a "whore" and "slut" in text messages; and that Lancaster-Goguen initiated the fight that night by pushing Pfister while calling him a "faggot."

Amherst Police Detective Greg Wise testified that Pfister told him during an interview that he pulled the knife "to prevent further attack," and that the victim had grabbed the knife by the blade after starting the fight.  

Although it did not come up at the hearing, Henry Lancaster-Goguen is no stranger to the Amherst Police Department, having been previously arrested for noise along with the brother of his accused attacker.

The Judge set the next pre trial hearing for January 23 and told Pfister to stay out of Amherst and away from the victim until then.  The parents confirmed they were taking him back to Camden, Maine. 

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty. Have you ever heard of this concept Larry?

Larry Kelley said...

You must be pretty dense; this post perfectly underscores that concept.

Anonymous said...

Larry, you writing is pretty bad. I'm not surprised anon 12:54 was confused, that whole blog post is barely comprehensible. Perhaps you should revisit story writing/how to construct a paragraph 101. It's like reading a drunken ramble. Sheesh.

Larry Kelley said...

Well, YOUR writing ain't so hot either. Yikes!

Anonymous said...

Exactly why didn't the APD obtain a 209A order on behalf of the young lady? I've seen them obtained for far less -- and I've seen young ladies bullied into obtaining them too.

Exactly who is this alleged victim and why is he receiving such preferential treatment?

Larry Kelley said...

I think she would need to request a 209A, and APD is not in the habit of of bullying victims into doing so.

The defense attorney did ask her if the victim had ever "touched you without permission?" to which she softly replied, "yes."

Anonymous said...

Larry,
Your headline "Reap What You Sow" screams that you think he is guilty. The way you describe him in handcuffs and shackles, to reinforce the image in our mind that he is dangerous and most likely guilty. BTW, all currently incarcerated people who are brought to court, no matter what for, even if just for a bail hearing, are in handcuffs and shackles, no matter the severity of the charges.
Also, a person can be bailed out with a charge card...no need for the actual cash.
This blog is turning into Larry's crime blotter. Would be nice, if this is all you are going to write about, that you take care to be more even handed.

Larry Kelley said...

The title is referencing the alleged victim, not the alleged assailant.

And when the alleged assailant first appeared in court earlier in the week he was not in handcuffs or leg shackles.

The Judge said "cash" and the parents assumed he meant "cash."

Anonymous said...

APD is not in the habit of of bullying victims into doing so.

But are willing to make an exception when asked to do so by the state REPUBLICAN Party.

You got it folks -- YOUR taxes being spent for the REPUBLICAN party...

Anonymous said...

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Man-pretending-to-be-cop-sexually-assaults-woman-on-I-35E-233100101.html

In broad daylight on a busy highway. Just sayin....

Anonymous said...

I think Larry presented the fact pretty well. I think people who think Larry is biased are just showing their true bias. From Larry's information it is pretty clear that all parties involved are pretty stupid. Bunch of drunk guys together one sleeping with ex of someone else. Old boyfriend is angry about it all. The smart thing to do would be avoid each other. Clearly these young adults don't have a clue.

Dr. Ed said...

The smart thing to do would be avoid each other.

Starting with the young lady. Something I said from the get-go.

Anonymous said...

Not all Umass students are the stereotypical jackasses my "colleagues" make us out to be. Obviously most of them are, but as someone with an inside track on this situation, sometimes a crazy Maine person comes into the mix and takes things too far. Not all parties involved are "pretty stupid", and I hope the right parties get what they deserve.

Anonymous said...

Get your facts straight: This hearing took place on a Friday. That girl had an opportunity to walk into ANY distrcit court and apply for whatever type of order she so wanted. IF it had not been done by Friday then that is HER decsion. Know the law before quoting TV justice...

Dr. Ed said...

That girl had an opportunity to walk into ANY distrcit court and apply for whatever type of order she so wanted

Unless, of course, she enjoyed playing the two boyfriends against each other, as some women do. Which is what I suspect here -- and am actually surprised that the cops didn't threaten to charge her as an accessory unless she obtained the 209A, which is what I have seen done before -- I have copies of the officer's own reports describing their tactics.

And I'll make no secret of the fact that should I ever see a certain MHC graduate and/or certain alumni of the UM PIKE fraternity on the list of people who have passed the bar exam, I'll exercise my rights to bring certain things to the attention of the BBO.....

But if police officers acted beyond the scope of their authority as well -- which they well may have in 2009, then there's that little "officer of the court" thing you know, and they gotta tell Judge Payne stuff he ain't gonna like hearing....

Dr. Ed said...

sometimes a crazy Maine person comes into the mix and takes things too far

Camden stopped being part of Maine in the early 1970's, about the same time that Amherst stopped being part of Massachusetts.

Just sayin....

Anonymous said...

Why am I not the least bit surprised to hear that Ed monitors (stalks?) the list of bar exam graduates?

Tom McBride said...

I would agree with Dr. Ed, I'm hesitant to admit I have family members living in Camden. Maine is a state, ....to make it sound dramatic, that has almost no employment. Yet Camden and a few other places have jobs, to a certain degree, year round. A very popular tourist town. And my family members aren't famous, but there are quite a few big estates there.