Nearly 53 years after the brutal murder of a Massachusetts woman, justice has finally been served. Arthur L. Massei, 78, was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1971 killing of Natalie Scheublin in Bedford, Massachusetts. In a chilling blast from the past that was once a cold case, Massei faced justice when he was also convicted of Solicitation to Suborn Perjury during his trial, according to a statement from the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.
Natalie Scheublin, 54, was found dead by her husband in the basement of their home on June 10, 1971. She had been stabbed multiple times and suffered a massive blunt force injury to her skull. The killer had bound her ankles and tied a makeshift gag around her neck. "For more than fifty years this case went unsolved," District Attorney Marian Ryan said, "Today’s verdict is the culmination of years of investigative work and exemplifies the core mission of my Cold Case Unit – providing answers to families," according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. The conviction is seen as a testament to the unwavering resolve to pursue justice, no matter how long it takes.
The breakthrough in this case came through advances in fingerprint technology. Investigators utilized the FBI's Automated Fingerprint Identification System in 1999 to identify a latent print from Scheublin's car matching Massei's left thumb. Despite his inconsistent stories over the years, Massei's criminal past unfurled as the Cold Case Unit, established by District Attorney Ryan, pulled at the threads of his life. They discovered a witness who revealed Massei's organized crime connections and his confession to a fatal stabbing. This evidence ultimately led to a grand jury indictment for Scheublin's murder.
While the wheels of justice have ground slowly, they did not stall. Massei's conviction not only brings closure to a decades-old case but also includes his attempt to tamper with the proceedings. According to court documents, after his arrest, Massei tried to bribe a witness to claim he had been framed, an effort that investigators successfully intercepted.
Massei will return to court for his sentencing on May 31, 2024. The case was a collaborative effort between the Middlesex District Attorney's Office Cold Case Unit and state and local police. The prosecutors, Assistant District Attorney David Solet and Jamie Charles, lead the charge alongside their team in this longstanding battle for justice. The Scheublin family, who have waited over five decades for this moment, will finally see the conclusion of a tragic chapter in their lives.
