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DA drops charges against man who'd been accused of shooting girl on Annunciation Road but says he's still a suspect

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office today dropped charges against Dominique Finch for an Annunciation Road shooting last fall that left a 9-year-old girl paralyzed.

The DA's office said its nolle prosequi filing was intended to be just a temporary reprieve for Finch, an alleged Heath Street gang associate who was out on bail at the time of the shooting for what prosecutors say was his role in a brutal beating at a Brighton Center bar in January of last year.

In fact, it was data from a GPS device he was wearing as a bail condition in the Brighton case that helped prosecutors decide to charge him for the Annunciation Road shooting. The Brighton charges remain pending against him, the DA's office says.

In the filing, made in Roxbury Municipal Court, prosecutors wrote:

[B]ased on further investigation and a careful review of the current state of the evidence, the Commonwealth may not be able to sustain its burden of proving every element of the crimes charged beyond a reasonable doubt. The Commonwealth specifically reserves the right to initiate new charges against the defendant arising out of his alleged conduct in this matter should additional evidence be discovered.

In a statement, DA Dan Conley said:

The American Bar Association’s ethical codes do not allow prosecutors to “permit the continued pendency of criminal charges in the absence of sufficient admissible evidence to support a conviction.” Withdrawing the case against Finch while continuing to investigate the shooting with Boston Police detectives was the just and appropriate step under the circumstances.

Conley added that investigators continue to seek help from people who might know anything about the Annunciation Road shooting that his office has the ability to help anybody who might fear retaliation for their cooperation.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

Laws are laws, and ultimately I think the use of a precedent like this is more good than bad, but man sure seems like this guy got a way with one this go round, at least for now. Karma, do your thing.

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But are you saying that this guy is guilty, even though the DA's office says they're not sure they have evidence beyond reasonable doubt? Why not stick with the process, and wait for sufficient evidence before you publicly treat the guy like he's guilty?

"[B]ased on further investigation and a careful review of the current state of the evidence, the Commonwealth may not be able to sustain its burden of proving every element of the crimes charged beyond a reasonable doubt."

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But guilty people go free all the time on technicalities. And when the story first broke it seemed pretty reasonable that they'd find the right guy. That said, yes he's innocent until and unless proven guilty. Butttt he's probably guilty and if so, will be caught soon enough.

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that fight at the green briar was insane. not the type of joint typically known for this type of violence. what happened to the allston/ brighton bar scene?

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Otherwise, I'm not sure you can bemoan the state of Brighton bars based on one case.

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saw one last week that was lemon square based.

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