Boston police cruiser.
Credit: File photo
Three Boston police detectives were reprimanded for their roles in the apparently botched investigation into a man who went on to kill a young South Boston woman earlier this year.
Boston police on Friday said that as a result of an internal affairs investigation, three detectives in supervisory roles were reprimanded because of failures in overseeing a 2012 investigation into Edwin Alemany, who is accused of abducting and killing 24-year-old Amy Lord.
Months before Alemany allegedly killed Lord and dumped her body in Hyde Park, he allegedly attacked another woman who was able to grab his identification. However, he was never charged or held with that attack because of what Boston police said was a failure to thoroughly investigate the incident.
Lt. Detective Patrick Cullity, the commanding officer of detectives in the Roxbury area, was issued a written reprimand. Two sergeant detectives, Timothy Horan and Thomas O’Leary, were given oral reprimands.
They supervised then Detective Jerome Hall-Brewster, who was demoted in July to a patrol officer because of his “failure to investigate” the earlier attack. Boston police said he was also the subject of another internal investigation for failing to follow through on another investigation. He has appealed the demotion.
The three supervisors did not have prior disciplinary histories, police said, which is why they were reprimanded and not demoted.
“While the investigation showed supervisors initially provided Hall-Brewster with investigative guidance, the case subsequently was not properly tracked and all possible investigative steps were not taken,” Boston police said in a statement.
Cullity has also been ordered to attend management training.
Boston police added that they are taking steps to ensure thorough investigations including implementing a new case records management system next year and training for all detective supervisors.
Aleman is still considered a person of interest in the earlier attack and an investigation in ongoing, police said.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
