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DEDHAM —
In what must be considered a setback for the prosecution, one of the state’s primary witnesses against two men accused of a 2009 murder died of an apparent heart attack on Monday night.
Robert Moccia, 52, the brother of murder suspect Paul Moccia, of Dedham, was set to testify that his brother enlisted his help to drive a pickup truck to Framingham one night in March 2009.
Robert Moccia had previously testified that on their ride back to Dedham, Paul Moccia revealed he had shot the truck’s owner, Angel A. Ramirez of Framingham, and that he had been assisted in the killing by Daniel Bradley of Westwood.
Paul Moccia also told Robert Moccia that Bradley was going to chop up Ramirez’s body and incinerate it at his family’s concrete business in Walpole, Robert Moccia previously testified.
News of Moccia’s death surfaced during a Tuesday, Jan. 17, pretrial hearing for Bradley, whose trial was scheduled to begin Feb. 6 in Norfolk County Superior Court.
Bradley’s court date was changed to June 18 at Tuesday’s hearing. Paul Moccia is scheduled to be tried in April.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Nelson, who has been prosecuting the case since the two men were arrested in 2009, said he learned of Robert Moccia’s death through Bradley’s attorney, Kevin Reddington.
He did not comment on how Robert Moccia’s death would affect his case against Bradley or Paul Moccia.
Reddington said he heard about it from Paul Moccia’s lawyer, Steven Boozang.
Boozang was told by family members that Robert Moccia died due to a heart attack the night of Monday, Jan. 16 while visiting New Hampshire, he said in a phone interview.
After the hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 17, Reddington said both Bradley and Paul Moccia would no longer have to deal with the late Moccia’s “machinations” related to their cases.
“It’s a good development for both cases,” Reddington said.
Reddington had previously argued Moccia’s testimony was inadmissible against Bradley and that there was no evidence of the murder. Reddington had also said Robert Moccia’s story got embellished each time it was told.
Moccia and Bradley purportedly killed Ramirez over a drug debt of $70,000.
In what must be considered a setback for the prosecution, one of the state’s primary witnesses against two men accused of a 2009 murder died of an apparent heart attack on Monday night.
Robert Moccia, 52, the brother of murder suspect Paul Moccia, of Dedham, was set to testify that his brother enlisted his help to drive a pickup truck to Framingham one night in March 2009.
Robert Moccia had previously testified that on their ride back to Dedham, Paul Moccia revealed he had shot the truck’s owner, Angel A. Ramirez of Framingham, and that he had been assisted in the killing by Daniel Bradley of Westwood.
Paul Moccia also told Robert Moccia that Bradley was going to chop up Ramirez’s body and incinerate it at his family’s concrete business in Walpole, Robert Moccia previously testified.
News of Moccia’s death surfaced during a Tuesday, Jan. 17, pretrial hearing for Bradley, whose trial was scheduled to begin Feb. 6 in Norfolk County Superior Court.
Bradley’s court date was changed to June 18 at Tuesday’s hearing. Paul Moccia is scheduled to be tried in April.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Nelson, who has been prosecuting the case since the two men were arrested in 2009, said he learned of Robert Moccia’s death through Bradley’s attorney, Kevin Reddington.
He did not comment on how Robert Moccia’s death would affect his case against Bradley or Paul Moccia.
Reddington said he heard about it from Paul Moccia’s lawyer, Steven Boozang.
Boozang was told by family members that Robert Moccia died due to a heart attack the night of Monday, Jan. 16 while visiting New Hampshire, he said in a phone interview.
After the hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 17, Reddington said both Bradley and Paul Moccia would no longer have to deal with the late Moccia’s “machinations” related to their cases.
“It’s a good development for both cases,” Reddington said.
Reddington had previously argued Moccia’s testimony was inadmissible against Bradley and that there was no evidence of the murder. Reddington had also said Robert Moccia’s story got embellished each time it was told.
Moccia and Bradley purportedly killed Ramirez over a drug debt of $70,000.
