Yvonne Abraham

Prosecutors built a narrative that Latarsha Sanders was ‘evil.’ Her family felt powerless to stop it. - The Boston Globe Even if Latarsha Sanders' family had the wherewithal to stand up for her publicly, would anyone have listened?

Part 4 of my series on Latarsha Sanders and the insanity defense. After her arrest, Sanders and her family were reeling. And, in prison, Sanders' mental illness was named -- for the first time.

A jury had to decide Latarsha Sanders’ fate. The full story was kept from them. - The Boston Globe From the beginning, it was clear the prosecution’s strategy was to deny Latarsha Sanders’ mental illness and demolish her character.

Years after Latarsha Sanders killed her two sons, jurors at her trial saw dozens of gruesome crime-scene photos.

But they didn’t see crucial records that would have shown how severe her mental illness was back then, writes Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham.

‘The red flags were there’: The police interrogation of Latarsha Sanders was problematic - The Boston Globe Latarsha Sanders was in no condition to understand the stakes as she sat in an interrogation room at the Brockton police station.

Part 3 of my series on Latasha Sanders and the insanity defense. Though she was deeply irrational and completely compromised in her police interrogation a few hours after the boys' bodies were discovered, police continued to question her.

Latarsha Sanders’ paranoia was growing. But nothing hinted at how far over the edge she would fall. - The Boston Globe As paranoid and obsessive as Latarsha Sanders could be, she had never hurt her kids. Now, her family rakes through their memories for signs.

Part 2 of my series on Latarsha Sanders and the insanity defense.

I hope you'll take a look.

And I concluded that, even though she did something unspeakable, justice was not done in Sanders’ case.

I've written a seven-part series of columns on Sanders case, and the insanity defense in Massachusetts. I hope you'll take a look.

I read hundreds of pages of trial transcripts, police reports, and other court documents. I listened to phone calls and courtroom arguments, and watched video of her interrogation. I spoke to dozens of attorneys, mental health experts, and legal scholars.

I interviewed members of Sanders’ family, who, despite their pain at losing the boys, were incredibly generous and patient, helping me to understand who Sanders was, and how she got to the awful weekend in February 2018 when she stabbed to death the boys she loved.

I wanted to know how that happened. I wanted to know how Sanders had gotten to the point where she could kill her boys, Marlon, 8, and La’son, 5, in a burst of horrific violence.

And I wanted to explore what justice should look like when a mentally ill person takes a life.

That they belong in a hospital, not prison.
Yet Plymouth DA Timothy J. Cruz had charged Sanders with first-degree murder and persuaded a jury to convict her.

The law says that, when mental illness makes someone incapable of understanding the wrongfulness of their actions, or incapable of controlling them, they should not be held criminally responsible – even if they’ve done something heinous.

A mentally ill mother did something horrific. The prosecutor insisted she was playing ‘the crazy card.’ - The Boston Globe Latarsha Sanders had the kind of psychotic break that speaks for itself. Or at least it should.

Three years ago, I started reporting on the story of Latarsha Sanders, a mentally ill woman in Brockton who killed her two youngest children in 2018.

The Trump administration’s mass deportation push has upended life in New England. Immigrants detained at work. Families dragged from cars by ICE. Teenagers arrested.

Our newsletter “Immigration Unmasked” examines how this is playing out in your community. globe.com/immigrationunmasked

Why I Am Leaving the Federal Bench A judge explains his reasons for resigning.

Mark Wolf in his own words.

‘I wasn’t letting go of my wife’: Video shows ICE agents in Fitchburg struggling with man having apparent seizure, holding toddler in car - The Boston Globe A video of immigration authorities apparently trying to detain a man who is holding a toddler, while bystanders are yelling for his safety, has gone viral.

I hope Hell is real.

Quincy mayor, already facing controversy, took thousands of dollars in illegal campaign donations, state says - The Boston Globe Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch paid $55,000 under a resolution released Wednesday by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Photograph is CHEF'S KISS:

Cuomo Blasts Mamdani for His Rent-Stabilized Unit. But He Had One, Too.

Fantastic!

The DEA said it arrested 171 ‘high ranking’ Sinaloa Cartel members. A Spotlight investigation found that’s not true. - The Boston Globe A Globe investigation found that the federal agency misrepresented the stature of its targets, claiming cartel ties at a time when the Trump administration is taking lethal military action against suc...

Great work by my colleagues! Big Trump admin Sinaloa cartel takedown turns out to have been very, very much not one.

Same folks blowing up boats they claim are carrying narco traffickers...

Imagine how terrified that child must be.

Everett 13-year-old arrested by ICE and sent to Virginia detention facility - The Boston Globe The boy’s mother, Josiele Berto, was called to pick her son up from the Everett Police Department on Thursday, the day he was arrested.

Jesus.

Duke Was Paring Back Diversity Programs. Trump Targeted It Anyway.

Gee, I'm sure there is a lesson in here somewhere. BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?

Opinion | Trump Has No Mandate to Destroy America

my latest is expanding on the observation that your view of the politics of opposition to the administration depend largely on your view of the election (gift link)

Opinion | When Silence Is the Only Logical Choice, Are We Really Free?

When Silence Is the Only Logical Choice, Are We Really Free?

Young often tells jurors they’re “the most vital expression of direct democracy that exists anywhere on the planet." I’ve never forgotten that lesson.

10/10

I learned so much that day, as he gently questioned potential jurors about their reservations and viewpoints from the bench. They were real people, with responsibilities, difficult experiences, and hard lives they were willing to put on hold to do their civic duty.

9/

He was gently pointing out that jury duty was hard and heroic, and that jurors try their very best to do the right thing. He invited me to spend some time in his courtroom to see for myself who ends up deciding cases.

8/

Second: In 2012, I wrote a column decrying a jury’s decision to find a defendant not guilty on an earlier murder charge, after he went on to kill someone. Afterwards, I got a note from Young.

7/

It was beautiful and jarring, and I’ll never forget it.

6/

But here was a federal judge standing below a giant painting of Daniel Webster defending the Union, saying *he* was grateful to *us*: "This is a short ceremony, but you have walked long roads to get here. I want to thank you ... on behalf of all citizens."