It Was a Good Day . . .

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=2547

My long time friend has a story to tell . . .

Exonerated, he wants answers
By Tom Farmer
Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Surrounded by tearful relatives who stood by him when he was wrongfully accused of beheading his brother, a Revere man cleared of murder yesterday called on Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O\'Toole to investigate the homicide detective who oversaw the flawed probe.
 
     ``Though it has taken three years for justice to be served, the system did work in spite of Detective Dan Keeler,\'\' William Leyden said yesterday moments after Suffolk Superior Court Magistrate Gary Wilson dropped the case at the request of prosecutors.
 
     ``To be accused unjustly of any crime is unfair, but to be accused unjustly of this crime, the murder and mutilation of my brother, is inexcusable and painful. It has changed my life forever.\'\'
 
     Leyden, 41, was charged with the March 2001 decapitation murder of his older brother, John ``Jackie\'\' Leyden in East Boston based on forensic evidence recovered from the trunk of his car that contained John Leyden\'s DNA. Sources said the material was ear wax.
 
     Prosecutors were moving forward on the case until suspected serial killer Eugene McCollom admitted to his brother, James, during a jailhouse visit that he had killed John Lyden after a dispute at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, according to authorities.
 
      McCollom, who sources said has also admitted to the November 2000 beheading of an unidentified prostitute in Lynn whose remains were dumped at the Chelsea Soldiers Home, provided information that led to the recovery of John Leyden\'s head in Florida and the woman\'s head and hands buried on a Nahant Beach.
 
     Leyden and his family are incensed that Keeler made statements on ABC\'s 2001 reality series ``Boston 24/7\'\' indicating William Leyden\'s guilt.
 
     BPD spokeswoman Mariellen Burns said Leyden was charged with the gruesome killing because that is where the evidence pointed at the time. ``Mr. Leyden was charged because the investigating officers had probable cause to do so in the case and probable cause is a much lower standard than evidence needed to warrant a conviction,\'\' Burns said.
 
     William Leyden said, ``I\'ve been vindicated. I\'m an innocent man and a free man again.\'\'

By the way, my friend is William Leyden.

Figuratively?

No, William/Bill Leyden is my friend of thirty years.

[GmanJoe]

Crikey. I hope the investigators get investigated for stupidity.

[videoholic]

Pretty scary to not only suffer from the loss of your brother, but then get accused.

Was he in jail the whole time?

Luckily his mother could come up with the $100,000.00 to keep him out of jail.

Days after he found his brother dead his father passed away from cancer. It was a double funeral.

[videoholic]

Originally posted by Ace
Days after he found his brother dead his father passed away from cancer. It was a double funeral.

Well they saved some cash on the funeral....


Oh gosh..   Sick humour.  Sorry..


* Crawls away....

Originally posted by videoholic
Well they saved some cash on the funeral....


Oh gosh..   Sick humour.  Sorry..


* Crawls away....

We had some pretty sick jokes ourselves so no need to crawl away.

Glad to hear the truth came out Ace.  Does he have any recourse as to what happened to him?

Thanks, Giga!

The family is looking into it but as time goes by it appears that it will be a tough fight.