NATIONAL NEWS

Court vacates convictions against Black Muslim man whose attorney made racist posts

Jun 15, 2023, 11:52 AM

The highest court in Massachusetts has vacated sex trafficking convictions against a Black Muslim man whose court-appointed attorney had a history of posting racist and anti-Muslim vitriol on social media.

Attorney Richard Doyle had a conflict of interest that deprived the defendant of his right to effective assistance of counsel, “a right upon which our entire system of criminal justice depends,” the Supreme Judicial Court wrote in its unanimous decision released Thursday.

“Indigent and facing multiple felony charges, the defendant was appointed counsel who openly posted, on his social media account, his vitriolic hatred of and bigotry against persons of the Muslim faith; his unabashed anti-Muslim rants were matched only by his equal scorn for and racism against Black persons,” the court wrote.

The now-deceased defense attorney’s racism continued even after he took the case, the court said.

The defendant, Anthony Dew, was coincidentally released from prison on parole on Thursday, said his appeals lawyer, Edward Gaffney.

“I’m happy, of course. Our position was that he was denied his constitutional rights, and this decision confirms that our position was correct,” Gaffney said.

It was a unique case.

“This situation was so strange. We could not find a similar case and we could not fit this extreme fact pattern into existing law,” he said.

The Suffolk district attorney’s office now must decide whether to try the case, dismiss the charges, or negotiate another plea deal.

“The anti-Muslim and racist sentiments expressed by this defense attorney are reprehensible,” Jim Borghesani, a spokesperson for Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden, said in a statement. “While we vigorously pursue convictions in every prosecution we bring forward, we recognize the societal imperative of effective and unbiased representation for all defendants. We are reviewing the underlying case and will determine our future actions based on that review.”

Dew was indicted in March 2015 on 19 charges, including five counts of trafficking a person for sexual servitude and one count of rape.

On one of the first occasions Dew met his defense attorney, he was wearing a prayer cap known as a kufi. Doyle demanded he remove the cap and said, “Don’t come in this room like that ever,” according to the court. At another meeting, the attorney left the room without speaking to Dew upon seeing that he was again wearing a kufi.

Doyle urged Dew to accept a plea deal in the case, and in 2016, he pleaded guilty to all of the charges he faced, except for rape, which was dismissed as part of the deal. He was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Dew at the time had no idea that his attorney from at least 2014 through 2017 had made a series of racists posts on social media.

“These posts … included a variety of anti-Muslim slurs and statements calling for violence against and celebrating the death of persons of the Muslim faith, posts mocking Black individuals, and comments, some apparently made at a state court house, seemingly referring to Doyle’s clients as ‘thugs’ and suggesting that Doyle’s nonwhite clients were criminals,” the court’s decision said.

Dew did not become aware of his attorney’s bigoted posts until 2021, the same year Doyle died. Dew filed a motion for a new trial and asked to withdraw his guilty pleas. A judge denied his motion and it went to the high court.

National News

FILE - A Mega Millions ticket is seen as a person makes a purchase inside a convenience store, Aug....

Associated Press

Mega Millions jackpot soars to an estimated $800 million

BOSTON (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot has risen to an estimated $800 million with a cash option of $401.8 million for Tuesday’s drawing after no one matched all the winning numbers for Friday night’s drawing. The jackpot was last won in Illinois on June 4 with a ticket valued at $552 million. Only two […]

5 minutes ago

FILE - Gov. Tim Walz signs into law a sweeping package of police accountability measures in St. Pau...

Associated Press

Takeaways from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s response to violence after George Floyd’s murder

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be the Democratic vice presidential candidate has revived the debate over how he handled the biggest crisis of his political career. Minneapolis and St. Paul erupted after a white Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd. The Black man’s murder in 2020 sparked a […]

21 minutes ago

Colin Gray, 54, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, 14, sits in the Barrow Count...

Associated Press

With father of suspect charged in Georgia shooting, will more parents be held responsible?

Murder charges filed against the father of a 14-year-old boy accused of a Georgia school shooting follow the successful prosecution of two parents in Michigan who were held responsible for a similar tragedy at a school north of Detroit. Is it a sign of a crackdown on parents accused of gross negligence when it comes […]

39 minutes ago

FILE - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, center right, listens to artist Seitu Jones, right, talk about his ...

Associated Press

Sharp divisions persist over Walz’s response to the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz faced the biggest crisis of his political career when Minnesota’s two largest cities erupted in protests and riots after a white Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd. The Black man’s murder in 2020 sparked a nationwide reckoning over racial discrimination and police misconduct. His death, and its complicated aftermath, […]

1 hour ago

FILE - Teacher Abi Hawker leads preschoolers in learning activities at Hillcrest Developmental Pres...

Associated Press

How to pick the best preschool or child care center for your child

Preschool options are growing with the expansion of early learning programs, giving families in some parts of the U.S. a dizzying array of choices. Some states, like Colorado and New Mexico, are funneling state money into existing private preschools or child care centers. Others, like California, are expanding preschool through the public school system. Some […]

1 hour ago

FILE - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shown, March 15, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Pho...

Associated Press

Wisconsin health officials recall eggs after a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections

Wisconsin health officials initiated a recall of eggs following an outbreak of salmonella infections among 65 people in nine states that originated on a Wisconsin farm. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said in a statement Friday that those who have been infected by salmonella included 42 people in Wisconsin, where the eggs are believed […]

1 hour ago

Court vacates convictions against Black Muslim man whose attorney made racist posts