Michael Ehlert is eighteen years old. Michael Leoni is seventeen year old. Both live in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Both are now facing serious felony charges in the Lynn District Court. It would not surprise me at all to see these charges indicted and prosecuted in the Essex County Superior Court in Salem. According to reports Ehlert and Leoni viciously attacked a school age boy who was walking home in the early evening hours on October 29, 2009. When the boy passed by the defendants they dragged him into a local cemetery, choked him, beat him, kicked him and searched him for money. They made him smoke a cigarette, stole his wallet and made him lead them to the victim’s home where they located and stole his iPOd. As a result of these acts Leoni has been charged with Assault With Intent to Rob, Kidnapping, Assault and Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon and Larceny. Ehlert has been charged with the same crimes along with Intimidation of a Witness. All of these Crimes are Felonies in Massachusetts.
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In the context of these facts all of these crimes are considered very Serious Felonies in Massachusetts. The Robbery charge alone carries a maximum life sentence. Assault and Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon carries a potential ten year sentence. Kidnapping convictions can also result in the imposition of a ten year state prison sentence. There are however a few thoughts that come to mind when reading about this case. How was it that nobody saw the victim being dragged into the cemetery? Why did he not yell out for help when walking back to house? Could he have run away when going back to his home or could he have yelled out to a neighbor for help? Was the attack unprovoked or was there something that precipitated the event? These are questions that an Experienced Massachusetts Defense Lawyer will address in preparing the defense of these defendants.
If you have been charged with a Criminal Case in Massachusetts, Felony or Misdemeanor, call the Law Offices of Stephen Neyman now to discuss your case. We can be reached at 617-263-6800 or you can contact us online.