The Town of Braintree has agreed to a $14.9 million settlement with Frederick Weichel, a man who served 36 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Weichel's conviction in 1980 for the killing of Robert LaMonica was overturned in 2017, after new evidence surfaced including one police report which suggested another person might have been responsible for the crime. According to WHDH, this wrongful conviction led Weichel to spend substantial portions of his life behind bars.
During a trial in 2022, Weichel is reported to have stated that he was ordered to not bring up Tommy Barrett's name in connection with the LaMonica murder by notorious South Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger. This information reported by WCVB, further cements the complex dynamics that underpinned the wrongful conviction. 5 Investigates uncovered a letter from 1982 where Weichel's friend, Barrett, confessed to the murder, however, he was never charged. Weichel had been awarded $33 million in a lawsuit against the state, but due to a state-imposed cap, could only receive $1 million.
Braintree Mayor Erin V. Joyce acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating, "There are no winners with this case." In essence, an irretrievable fraction of Weichel's life has been spent entangled in a miscarriage of justice. Mayor Joyce added that in her judgment the settlement is "fair to him and prudent under the circumstances," as per the statement obtained by WHDH. The town, facing uncapped liability unlike the state, had to more thoroughly consider the settlement amount.
According to Mayor Joyce, the Town of Braintree plans to aggressively pursue recovering a substantial portion of the settlement from insurance coverage collections. "To control the impact on our own financial stability going forward, we are aggressively pursuing insurance coverage collections with the help of our legal team, and we anticipate recovering a meaningful portion of this settlement," Joyce stated in announcements, as reported by both WHDH and WCVB. Discussions and detailed planning will continue with the town council, financial planners, and legal counsel to determine the best avenue to fund the settlement.
