Finally, the trial against Melix Bonilla ended. It ended with the decision that all who knows Bonilla knew it was going to end, if justice was to be done.
And justice was served. The jury of 14 people, 9 women and 5 men found Bonilla Not Guilty of all charges against him.
Bonilla was charged with exchanging 12 police vehicles for 4 Chevrolet Impalas between 2010 and 2011, without notifying the District Attorney’s Office (DA) letting them know of the vehicles they planned to sell.
According to the statement by Chief Romero himself, he did not intervene to stop the deal because he wanted to reassure the defendant (Bonilla) for his initiative. Instead, he called the FBI to initiate an investigation.
In addition, Romero did not respond to questions from Cain, the defense counsel, when he asked if it was he, Romero who was passing information to the local newspaper The Eagle-Tribune and WBZ Radio of Boston about this situation.
“You were steadily passing information to the media without even reporting what happened to your boss, Mayor Lantigua and the Chief of Staff, Lenny Degnan or the city attorney. Everyone found out through the press. You also spoke to The Eagle-Tribune of your favoritism of Captain Driscoll,” clinched the lawyer. “I do not remember that,” Romero said, according to the trial notes taken by José Ayala which were published in our last edition of October 1.
Common sense tells us that these statements by former Police Chief John Romero, heard by the jury were instrumental in the verdict rendered.
Now we wonder, if the indictment of Bonilla was developed based on the information given by the former Chief of Police and the F.B.I. and the defendant was found NOT GUILTY of all charges, who is responsible for the millions spent in these investigations plus the judicial process? We, the tax payers?
Hopefully, the real investigation begins now!
