Supreme Judicial Court hears arguments in Anthony Baye arson case

BOSTON - Lawyers for accused arsonist Anthony Baye took their case to the state's highest court Wednesday as they try to get the central piece of evidence - Baye's purported confession - tossed out. Baye, 27, of 85 Hawley St., has pleaded innocent in Hampshire Superior Court to multiple charges, including two counts of murder, resulting from fires he allegedly set around Northampton on Dec. 27, 2009. Killed in one of the fires set that night were Paul Yeskie Sr., 81, and Paul Yeskie Jr., 39, who were trapped in their Fair Street home Judge Constance Sweeney, who is overseeing the case in superior court, ruled in August that tapes of Baye's 10-hour interrogation can be used as evidence at his trial, which is expected to begin early next year. Sweeney wrote that although the troopers' techniques were problematic, Baye confessed of his own free will.

New charges filed against accused arsonist Anthony Baye; others dropped

NORTHAMPTON - With the trial of alleged arsonist Anthony Baye postponed by several months, prosecutors Tuesday took the opportunity to bring six new felony charges against him and drop two old ones. Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., is being held without bail pending trial in Hampshire Superior Court on two counts of murder and several other charges associated with the Dec. 27, 2009, fires in Northampton. He has pleaded not guilty. A Hampshire County grand jury Tuesday handed up a new indictment charging Baye with six counts of misleading a police officer.

New charges filed against Baye in Northampton arson case; two others dropped

NORTHAMPTON - Accused arsonist Anthony Baye now faces six new felony charges for allegedly lying to police investigating a string of suspicious fires around the city Dec. 27, 2009.

Meanwhile, two other charges lodged against Baye last year have been dismissed.

Lawyers for Anthony Baye seek to block evidence in Northampton arson case

NORTHAMPTON — With Anthony Baye’s murder and arson trial fast approaching, defense lawyers are hoping to block evidence that he may have used cocaine or set previous fires. Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., has pleaded innocent in Hampshire Superior Court to two counts of murder and 42 other offenses connected with fires he allegedly set around Northampton on Dec. 27, 2009. His trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 26 before Judge Constance Sweeney, although a pending appeal could delay it for several months.

Judge refuses delay in Anthony Baye trial; other issues still unresolved

SPRINGFIELD - With less than a month until trial, lawyers in the Anthony Baye arson case are planning a flurry of legal maneuvers.
And although the prosecution and defense have been building their cases for 1½ years, a lot could change before the first gavel comes down. Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., has pleaded innocent in Hampshire Superior Court to two counts of murder and 42 other offenses connected to 15 fires he allegedly set around Northampton on Dec. 27, 2009. In a status hearing on the case in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield Monday, presiding judge Constance Sweeney settled some matters, while others remain unresolved.

Judge's ruling keeps Anthony Baye confession in play; defense may appeal

NORTHAMPTON - In a 44-page ruling released Monday, a judge paved the way for a jury next month to watch alleged arsonist Anthony Baye's videotaped confession, saying Baye made his statements voluntarily. "The defendant felt trapped by the evidence, not by the behavior or questioning techniques of the troopers," Hampshire Superior Court Judge Constance Sweeney wrote. Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., has pleaded innocent to two counts of murder and 42 other charges related to 15 fires he allegedly set in Northampton on Dec. 27, 2009. His trial is tentatively scheduled to begin Sept. 26 in Hampshire Superior Court. In her decision, Sweeney concedes that state police interrogators used coercion, but she believes Baye confessed of his own volition.

Prosecutors want second look at Baye's cell phone

NORTHAMPTON - Prosecutors want another look at accused arsonist Anthony Baye's cell phone, saying it might contain evidence investigators missed earlier.

Baye, 26, has pleaded innocent in Hampshire Superior Court to two counts of murder and multiple other charges related to fires he allegedly set around Northampton Dec. 27, 2009.

Witness challenges police interrogation in Baye arson case

NORTHAMPTON - Police used unorthodox methods known to lead to false confessions when questioning alleged Northampton arsonist Anthony Baye, according to a legal scholar.

Recordings of the 10-hour interrogation show Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., describe setting some of the suspicious fires that broke out around the city Dec. 27, 2009, one of which killed two people.

Accused arsonist's lawyers want trial moved out of county

NORTHAMPTON - Lawyers for accused arsonist Anthony Baye say jurors for his September trial should be drawn from Hampden County, arguing that a local jury could not be fair given the county-wide impact of the fires Baye is accused of setting and their extensive subsequent media coverage.

After 10 hours of interrogation, suspect Anthony Baye confessed to setting fires

NORTHAMPTON — After nearly 10 hours of police questioning, Anthony Baye acknowledged setting the fires that terrorized the city on Dec. 27, 2009, but said it felt like "somebody else" had done it. "When I think back on it, it just seems like a totally different person," Baye says during a videotaped interrogation shown Thursday in Hampshire Superior Court. Now 26, Baye has pleaded innocent to two counts of murder and multiple other offenses related to the fires. "Well, I mean, obviously it’s been on my mind all week," Baye says when asked by investigators to describe his feelings. "Obviously I’ve been stressed out all week."

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Hearing starts on confession by accused Northampton arsonist Anthony Baye

NORTHAMPTON — Amid banter about iPhone apps and the movie "The Hangover," Anthony Baye told two state police investigators how he spent the night Dec. 27, 2009. That's the night authorities allege Baye started a series of fires around Northampton, one of which took the lives of an 81-year-old father and his 39-year-old son. A week later, Baye met with police for the third time. Wearing a sweatshirt and ball cap and appearing calm, he patiently answered questions from Sgt. Paul Zipper and Trooper Michael Mazza and even helped them draw a map of his movements around the city that night. The first hour and 40 minutes of what ended up being a 10½-hour videotaped interrogation were shown Tuesday in Hampshire Superior Court, as Baye's defense team mounted an effort to have the tape tossed out as evidence. The hearing continues today, and is expected to stretch to Thursday or Friday.

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Accused arsonist Anthony Baye says police pressured him to confess

NORTHAMPTON - Accused arsonist Anthony Baye says he was pressured to answer questions by police who ignored his requests for a lawyer. In a two-page affidavit filed Friday in Hampshire Superior Court, Baye says he was questioned three separate times by police after a series of fires set around Northampton on Dec. 27, 2009, killed two people and damaged or destroyed several homes and vehicles. Police arrested Baye Jan. 4, 2010, and he was indicted soon after on two counts of murder and 42 other offenses. Baye's lawyers will argue at a hearing scheduled for May that recordings of a 10-hour police interrogation of Baye should not be used at evidence at his trial.

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May 10 hearing scheduled on alleged confession in Anthony Baye arson case

SPRINGFIELD - The defense and prosecution in the arson case against Anthony Baye will square off in May at a hearing likely to include a videotape of Baye's alleged confession. Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., faces two counts of murder and 42 other offenses in connection with a series of fires authorities allege he set around Northampton Dec. 27, 2009. The two sides picked May 10 to begin the hearing, which could take four or five days, according to defense attorney Thomas Lesser. Depending on the hearing's outcome, the case could go to trial as soon as September. The trial will likely take at least three weeks but not more than a month, Lesser said.

Veteran judge Constance Sweeney to oversee Anthony Baye arson case

NORTHAMPTON - Superior Court Judge Constance Sweeney, a veteran jurist who presided over a Ward 3 arson trial two decades ago, has been assigned to oversee the Anthony Baye arson case. Meanwhile, his defense team has dropped plans to seek dismissal of some charges against Baye, 25, of 85 Hawley St. Prosecutors allege Baye went on a random arson spree Dec. 27, 2009, setting fires that killed two men and damaged or destroyed buildings and vehicles around Northampton, mostly in Ward 3 east of downtown.

Lawyers for alleged arsonist Anthony Baye seek to suppress evidence

NORTHAMPTON - Lawyers for Anthony Baye claim police illegally pulled him over twice on the night he allegedly started a series of fires around the city. Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., has pleaded innocent to two counts of murder and 42 other offenses related to an alleged arson spree Dec. 27, 2009. The fires left two men dead and a family homeless. In a two-page motion filed Friday in Hampshire Superior Court, defense attorneys David Hoose and Thomas Lesser are seeking to prevent evidence gathered during the two traffic stops from being used against Baye at trial.

Baye in court briefly in arson case

NORTHAMPTON - Anthony Baye, the man charged with setting fires in the city that left two men dead, appeared briefly in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday as lawyers planned the next steps in his court case.

Prosecution, defense in Northampton arson case seek special judge to preside

NORTHAMPTON - The prosecution and defense in the case of accused arsonist Anthony Baye have asked for a special judge see to it through to trial.

In a three-page motion filed in Hampshire Superior Court Thursday, special prosecutor Brett Vottero and defense attorney David Hoose say that consistent oversight is needed given the complexity of the case.

Baye defense hints at challenges to Northampton arson evidence

NORTHAMPTON - Lawyers for Anthony Baye, accused of an arson spree that burned homes and cars and left two men dead, dropped their first hints Thursday of how they plan to defend him. Baye, 26, of 85 Hawley St., has pleaded innocent in Hampshire Superior Court to numerous charges - including two counts of murder - related to 15 fires he allegedly set around Northampton Dec. 27, 2009. His lawyers said they plan to file three motions challenging the evidence against Baye, including his alleged confession.

Expert called in to prosecute Northampton arsons; Vottero brings deep experience

NORTHAMPTON - A lawyer with a long track record prosecuting arsonists has taken over the case of Anthony Baye, who is accused of setting 15 fires and killing two people one year ago.

Chilly vigil recalls Northampton's trial by fire

NORTHAMPTON - A neighborhood that banded together in the aftermath of last year's arson fires stood in solidarity again Monday night, remembering a father and son who lost their lives a year ago in a tragic Fair Street blaze. The ceremony of silence at Lampron Park off Bridge Street, which lasted nearly an hour, drew about 100 residents and public officials, many of whom were on the front lines of the arson frenzy that terrorized the city in the early morning hours of Dec. 27, 2009.