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Angry lover charged with setting fire that killed two South Boston sisters
By adamg on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 3:01pm
Nicole Chuminski, 25, has been arrested and charged with setting the fire that killed Acia Johnson, 14, and her sister Sophia, 2, on April 6.
She will be arraigned on two counts of murder in South Boston District Court on Monday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.
At a press conference today, Suffolk County DA Dan Conley said that during their investigation of the fatal fire, police quickly learned that:
Chuminski and the victim's mother had an argument in the hours preceding the fire. They obtained evidence that Chuminski was present near the scene around the time of the fire. And they determined that an accelerant found on Chuminski's clothes after the fire was consistent with an accelerant discovered on the door frame of 154 West Sixth St. These facts - as well as others we cannot divulge today - support the complaints obtained this afternoon in South Boston District Court.
The girls' mother, Anna Reisopoulos, and Chuminski allegedly had a tempestuous relationship. Reisopoulos was charged with assault and battery on Feb. 1 in connection with a physical altercation at the now destroyed house.
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DA's statement
REMARKS OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY DANIEL F. CONLEY
ARREST OF NICOLE CHUMINSKI
MAY 9, 2008
Late this morning, I approved an arrest warrant charging NICOLE CHUMINSKI (D.O.B. 5/19/82) of South Boston with the April 6 murders of 14-year-old Acia Johnson and her two-year-old sister, Sophia Johnson, as well as a single count of arson of a dwelling. We expect to arraign her in South Boston District Court on Monday.
These charges reflect witness statements, testimony before the Suffolk County Grand Jury, physical evidence, and forensic examination of that evidence - all of which indicates that, in the early morning hours of April 6, Nicole Chuminski deliberately and maliciously set a fire at 154 West Sixth St. That fire spread rapidly, soon engulfing the entire building. Acia and Sophia were trapped on the third floor where, in a heartbreaking tragedy, they succumbed to the flames.
Beginning that sad morning, members of my office, the Boston Police Homicide Unit, and the Boston Fire Department Arson Squad launched an investigation that continues even today. They followed leads on the streets of Boston, behind the closed doors of the Suffolk County Grand Jury, and in crime laboratories. They left no stone unturned in their search for the truth.
What they learned is that Chuminski and the victim's mother had an argument in the hours preceding the fire. They obtained evidence that Chuminski was present near the scene around the time of the fire. And they determined that an accelerant found on Chuminski's clothes after the fire was consistent with an accelerant discovered on the door frame of 154 West Sixth St. These facts - as well as others we cannot divulge today - support the complaints obtained this afternoon in South Boston District Court.
This was and remains a complex, multi-faceted investigation. Its success would not have been possible without the close cooperation of the various agencies involved - Boston Fire and the Arson Squad; Boston Police Homicide and the squad led by Sgt. Det. Paul Donovan; and Assistant DA David Fredette of my Homicide Unit, who is leading the ongoing grand jury investigation. I must also extend my appreciation to the Massachusetts State Police, whose chemists and crime lab allowed for sophisticated scientific testing of certain evidence.
The investigation is not over. Much work remains to be done. Today we have reached a milestone, however, and we know the day is near when we will speak in court for two young children whose lives were tragically, senselessly taken, and who died with only each other to cling to in their final moments.
--30--
All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
No mention of domestic violence
The coverage of the South Boston arson that resulted in the deaths of two sisters excluded any mention of domestic violence in the relationship between Reisopoulos and Chuminski.
Although largely invisible, domestic violence occurs in 25-33% of gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgender relationships, a rate very similar to that experienced by women in heterosexual relationships. Characterizing abuse in this relationship as “a lover’s spat” or a “stormy and violent romance,” perpetuates the myth that abuse can be mutual. The definition of domestic violence is that there is a power imbalance – one person controls the other. Domestic Violence, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, is not about size, strength, or physical violence. It is about control. While someone who is abused may defend themselves or use physical violence, they may have no control in the relationship -- it is important to look at the context in which violence takes place.
Our community needs to support survivors and hold abusers accountable for their actions. The first hurdle to being able to address the very real public health risks created by GLBT domestic violence is to recognize GLBT relationships and the culturally specific needs of GLBT survivors of domestic violence.
-Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Domestic Violence Coalition
Nice to know that someone
Nice to know that someone else noticed. The media - and the official statement linked - have been careful to leave out the domestic abuse angle of this story. Apparently, they don't want to offend lesbian sensitivities, so mum's the word on you-know-who doing you-know-what. It's a classic example of those who know better being sure to avoid inflaming the mob of, you know, common people. Who would apparently march on Jamaica Plain with pitchforks and scythes if they found out that yes, lesbians are human beings.
With the result, of course, that domestic abuse is that much harder to uproot in the gay community.
What's the lesbian
What's the lesbian equivalent of the Yiddish phrase "shanda for the goyim"? I fear that the Glenn Becks and Nancy Graces and Sean Hannitys of the world are going to glom onto this tragedy and use it to talk endlessly about how it means All Lesbians Are Evil.
Q'est-ce que c'est?
What's the lesbian equivalent of "shanda for the goyim"? How about "Don't embarrass us in front of the heteros"? Actually, we (openly gay folk) pretty much stopped worrying about that twenty or thirty years ago. As to Beck, Grace and Hannity, which of them ISN'T a deranged psycho-killer? Fa fa fa FA fuh-fa fa fa FA fa...
Bail set at $1 million
DA had asked she be held without bail. Next court date is June 19.