Reaction
Wayland Patch 3/8/13: Family, Friends, Others Focus on Astley’s ‘Light’ in the Wake of Trial Verdict. Prosecutor Lisa McGovern turned to offer Mary Dunne and Malcolm Astley a look of success colored deeply with sadness as a jury declared Nathaniel Fujita guilty of murdering their 18-year-old daughter, Lauren Astley.
Wayland Town Crier 3/8/13: Shared sorrow, call for atonement following Fujita verdict, sentencing. Moments after a Middlesex Superior Court jury convicted the man of murdering his only daughter, Malcolm Astley, crying, walked over and hugged her killer’s parents.
Wayland Patch 3/7/13: Lauren Astley’s Parents Paint a Picture of Their Loss with Victim Impact Statements. Other voices spoke boldly Thursday on behalf of a voice silenced after only 18 short years. Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne, parents of Lauren Astley, spoke up on behalf of their murdered daughter, poignantly reminding Judge Peter Lauriat what they lost when Nathaniel Fujita took her life.
MyFoxNews 3/7/13: Impact Statement from Malcolm Astley
MyFoxNews 3/7/13: Impact Statement from Mary Dunne
Boston Globe 3/7/13: Nathaniel Fujita sentenced to life in prison in Wayland murder. Nathaniel Fujita was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Thursday after a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Lauren Astley, his former high school girlfriend. Judge Peter Lauriat issued the sentence in Middlesex Superior Court at about 12:20 p.m. Appeal is automatic in first-degree murder cases. Fujita, now 20, acted with both premeditation and extreme atrocity when he lured 18-year-old Astley to his Wayland home on July 3, 2011, told her to park her car out of sight, and then beat, strangled and slashed her to death before dumping her body in a marsh, the jurors found. Before the sentencing, Astley’s parents, who are divorced, gave statements describing the impact of their daughter’s murder. Links to those are just above.
WCVB 3/7/13: Mother of murder victim is haunted by daughter’s death. “I always wonder if she was screaming out or yelling mom,” said Dunne in an exclusive interview with WCVB’s Kelley Tuthill. “I don’t know what it was like and there are a million scenarios and I’ve played every one of them every day. It is torture. I don’t know if that ever goes away. I pray that it does.” [With video.]
WCVB 3/7/13: Murder victim’s dad makes fighting domestic violence his mission. Just hours after Nathaniel Fujita was found guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Lauren Astley, her father, Dr. Malcolm Astley, granted his first interview following the verdict. The families have known one another for years; their children grew up together. Dr. Astley recalled that Lauren and Nate shared many experiences with each other’s families. Following the reading of the verdict, Astley embraced Nate’s parents, Beth and Tomo Fujita. Astley said it was a shared moment of empathy and compassion.
CBS Boston 3/7/13: Lauren Astley’s Parents Speak Out About Murder Trial. On Thursday, jurors found a 20-year-old Wayland man guilty of murder in the brutal death of his ex-girlfriend. In July 2011, Nate Fujita stabbed and strangled 18-year-old Lauren Astley at his home. In the year and a half since Lauren was killed, her parents had begun to heal, but the details, evidence and testimony of the murder trial brought all the pain back.Video here
Verdict and Sentencing
Wayland Patch 3/7/13: Sullivan ‘Disappointed With the Verdict,’ But Will Appeal Fujita Verdict. Defense attorney William Sullivan said he is “disappointed with the verdict,” announced Thursday morning. The jury decided Nathaniel Fujita is guilty of first-degree murder. “We knew that this was a possibility,” Sullivan said, noting a defense built on mental illness is complex. “It was a difficult concept for jurors to understand, especially if you haven’t dealt with mental illness in your family.”
MyFoxNews 3/7/13: Fujita found guilty of first-degree murder; gets life in prison without parole. A jury on Thursday convicted a Wayland man of strangling and stabbing his former high school sweetheart just weeks after graduation. Nathaniel Fujita, 20, hung his head, his face emotionless, as the Middlesex Superior Court jury’s foreman found him guilty on all counts in the July 2011 killing of Lauren Astley. They were both 18 at the time. The jury deliberated about seven hours over two days. Video of DA Press Conference online here
Boston Herald 3/7/13: Nathaniel Fujita gets life in prison for Lauren Astley’s murder. Nathaniel Fujita has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury today found him guilty of first-degree murder with premeditation and extreme atrocity in the death of his ex-girlfriend Lauren Astley, rejecting the defense argument that he was insane at the time of the killing. In imposing the sentence, Judge Peter Lauriat called it a “sad and tragic case.” [with video of verdict]
CBS Boston 3/7/13: Nate Fujita Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murder Of Lauren Astley. Jurors found a 20-year-old Wayland man guilty of murder Thursday in the brutal death of his ex-girlfriend. Astley’s mother and father each delivered victim impact statements before the sentencing. Dunne said she did not know “how I will fully live again” without her daughter, who was her only child. “Never again will I be called ‘mom,’ Dunne told the court. ”I miss her voice desperately.” Dunne also noted that she’ll never get to attend her daughter’s wedding, celebrate her birthdays, or have grandchildren. Malcolm Astley suggested Fujita use what skills he has to help others while spending the rest of his life in prison and that it would be a “notable gift of atonement in Lauren’s memory.” Fujita showed no emotion as the statements and sentence were read.
NECN 3/7/13: Video of the verdict
CBS Boston 3/7/13: Nate Fujita Guilty In Wayland Murder Of Lauren Astley. Jurors found a 20-year-old Wayland man guilty of murder Thursday in the brutal death of his ex-girlfriend. The Middlesex Superior Court jury of four women and eight men needed less than two days to determine the fate of Nate Fujita. They found him guilty of first degree murder in the stabbing and strangulation of 18-year-old Lauren Astley at his home in July 2011. He was also found guilty on several assault and battery charges. A first degree murder conviction carries an automatic mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Complete video of verdict reading
WCVBtv 3/7/13: Fujita found guilty in death of former girlfriend. Nathaniel Fujita was found guilty on all four counts of which he was charged in the death of recent Wayland High School graduate 18-year-old Lauren Astley, who was killed in July 2011. Fujita, who was also charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault and battery, showed little emotion as the verdicts were read. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison on the murder charge. Malcom Astley, Lauren’s father, hugged Fujita’s parents as they broke down after learning their son’s fate. The families have remained close since the killing nearly two years ago. (With video of when the verdict was read)
NECN 3/7/13: Nathanial Fujita found guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend. A Wayland man has been convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend a month after they graduated from high school. Nathaniel Fujita was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the July 2011 death of Lauren Astley. They were both 18 at the time. Fujita hung his head as the jury foreman read the verdict. Astley’s mother broke down in tears.
Wayland Patch 3/7/13: Wayland Murder Trial Live Blog: Jury Returns Guilty Verdicts on First-Degree Murder, Other Charges.
Boston Globe 3/7/13: Jury convicts Nathaniel Fujita of first-degree murder in Wayland slaying. A jury of eight men and four women found Nathaniel Fujita guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of his former high school girlfriend — rejecting the defense’s argument that the Wayland teen was psychotic, and therefore not criminally responsible, at the time of the killing.
Closing Arguments, Deliberation and Legal Analysis:
Wayland Patch 3/7/13: Jury Enters Another Day of Deliberations in Fujita Murder Trial. Jurors this morning will return to the task of deliberating a verdict in the trial of Nathaniel Fujita, the now 20-year-old Wayland man accused of murdering 18-year-old Lauren Astley in July 2011. The jury has the option of finding Fujita guilty of first- or second-degree murder, not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, or not guilty of the crimes at all, according to instructions issued by Judge Peter Lauriat.
Wayland Town Crier 3/7/13: The jury deciding the Nathaniel Fujita case failed to reach a verdict on Wednesday after six hours of deliberation. The Middlesex Superior Court jury of eight men and six women is scheduled to resume deliberations today at 9 a.m.
Wayland Patch 3/6/13: First Full Day of Jury Deliberation Ends Without a Verdict in Fujita Trial. Jurors in the Nathaniel Fujita trial failed to reach a verdict during their first full day of deliberations. Fujita will wait another day to learn whether the jury believes him to be guilty of first- or second-degree murder or whether it believes, as the defense argued, that he experienced a brief psychotic episode at the time of the killing.
WHDH 3/6/13: Attorneys made their closing arguments in the trial of a Wayland man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend.
Nathaniel Fujita didn’t shed a tear, but his parents did Tuesday. His mother, who was seated behind him, was crying in court. A tear glistened down his father’s cheek while the defense tried to convince the jury Fujita was mentally ill when he committed murder. Video here.
NECN 3/6/13: Closing arguments delivered in Fujita trial. It was a ghoulish moment when prosecutor Lisa McCarthy dropped to her knees in front of the defense table where Nathaniel Fujita quietly looked on. With a bungee cord wrapped around her neck, McCarthy said, “And here. And here. And here,” indicating how Fujita killed his ex-girlfriend, 18-year-old Lauren Astley.
Boston Globe 3/6/13: Deliberations start in Wayland slaying. Nobody says he did not kill her: The question before jurors is whether Nathaniel Fujita was sane when he beat, strangled, and slashed to death his former high school sweetheart, 18-year-old Lauren Astley, on July 3, 2011. After nearly three weeks of testimony, the jury began deliberations in Middlesex Superior Court late Tuesday afternoon, following closing arguments delivered to a packed courtroom.
Boston Herald 3/6/13: Prosecutor: Fujita killed with ‘deliberate premeditation’. Telling jurors Nathaniel Fujita killed his ex-girlfriend with “deliberate premeditation,” a prosecutor yesterday got on her knees, dramatically wrapped one of the murder weapons — a black bungee cord — tightly around her neck and highlighted the multiple slash wounds on Lauren Astley’s throat and neck. With video.
Wayland Patch 3/6/13: Criminologist: ‘I Would Be Very Surprised’ if Jury Finds Fujita Insane. Was Nathaniel Fujita experiencing a brief psychotic episode when he killed Lauren Astley? While that question and the case as a whole is now in the hands of jurors to decide, a local criminologist says no; Fujita is criminally responsible.
Wayland Town Crier 3/6/13: Jury must now determine if Nathaniel Fujita was insane when he killed Lauren Astley. Nathaniel Fujita killed Lauren Astley on July 3, 2011. Now, a Middlesex Superior Court jury will have to decide if her death was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder fueled by rage and rejection or the act of a man suffering a brief psychotic episode forged by depression and head injuries.
Fox 25 3/6/13: Fate of Nate Fujita in the hands of a jury. Both the prosecution and the defense had their final chance Tuesday to make their case for or against a former Wayland High School football player accused of killing his high school sweetheart. Video here
Tuesday Live Blogs:
- WCVB’s Live Wire – includes livestream of video from the courtroom
- Wayland Patch (Tuesday)
- Metrowest Daily News (Tuesday)
Boston Globe 3/5/13: Jury hears closing arguments in Nathaniel Fujita trial, set to deliberate murder charges. Jurors are set to begin deliberating whether to convict 20-year-old Nathaniel Fujita of first-degree murder in the death of his former girlfriend, after lawyers for both sides delivered their closing arguments Tuesday.
Boston Globe 3/5/13: Closing arguments expected today in trial of Nathaniel Fujita, accused of murdering ex-girlfriend in Wayland.
Wayland Patch 3/5/13: VIDEO: The Setting of the Nathaniel Fujita Murder Trial. For the past three weeks, Courtroom 530 at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn has served as the setting for the murder trial that has consumed the thoughts of people throughout Wayland and well beyond that town.
Monday Coverage:
Wayland Town Crier 3/4/13: Psychiatrist says Fujita was angry, not insane, when he killed ex-girlfriend. Nathaniel Fujita strangled his ex-girlfriend and slashed her throat in a fit of rage, but was not insane at the time, a psychiatrist testified Monday. “I think the primary motivator was rage,” said Dr. Alison Fife, a psychiatrist testifying on behalf of the prosecution in Fujita’s murder trial in Middlesex Superior Court.
Boston Globe 3/4/13: Rage, not psychosis, drove Nathaniel Fujita to kill ex-girlfriend, psychiatrist testifies for prosecution. Rage, not psychosis drove, Nathaniel Fujita to strangle and stab his former girlfriend, Lauren Astley, and dump her body into a Wayland marsh, a psychiatrist testified for the prosecution Monday. “My assessment of Mr. Fujita’s mental status at the time of the crime was that he was angry, enraged, acting out in a very brutal way, and acting in a purposeful, well thought-out, goal-directed and thorough way,” Dr. Alison Fife, a forensic psychiatrist who met with him four times before the trial, testified in Middlesex Superior Court.
WCVB 3/4/13: Doctor: Fujita was emotional ‘crock pot’ that built up to boil. Dr. Wade Cooper Myers testified that Nathaniel Fujita suffered a psychotic episode when he strangled Lauren Astley, 18, and dumped her body in a marsh. On Monday, Myers said Fujita’s condition evolved over time and compared him to a crock pot saying his issues — impaired judgment, low mood and suicidal emotions — built up to a boil. But Dr. Alison Fife, a medical witness for the prosecution, testified on Monday that she evaluated Fujita and concluded he had “the substantial capacity to conform his behavior” in July 2011. “My opinion is that Nathaniel Fujita had the ability to appreciate wrongfulness,” Fife said. (with video)
CBS Boston 3/4/13: Psychiatrist Says Rage Motivated Fujita In Murder, Not Mental Illness. Two psychiatrists with drastically differing expert opinions took the stand Monday in the Nate Fujita murder trial. Video online here.
Monday Live Blogs:
