New England Sun-Times

Stephen "Stippo" Rakes, a key prosecution witness in the murder trial of alleged crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, has been found dead, authorities said. The body of Rakes, 59, had "no obvious signs of trauma" and an autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Lincoln, Mass., Police Chief Kevin Mooney announced today. The corpse was found on Mill Street in Lincoln yesterday at 1:30 p.m., police said. The judge overseeing the Bulger case hunkered down with lawyers in a confidential conference at the South Boston courthouse today where the trial is being held. Bulger, alleged to be a notorious and murderous crime boss and federal informant, is standing trial after being found on the lam in California two years ago. Federal prosecutors said Rakes was supposed to testify that Bulger and associate Stephen Flemmi threatened his daughter at gunpoint and forced him to turn over hi...

June 26, 2013 4:23 PM Instagram A couple of weeks ago, 2 Chainz was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight in San Francisco . No chains were stolen, but 2 Chainz did lose his wallet, which included credit cards and his driver’s license. And now of course, one of the possible perps has posted both a credit card and the license onto Instagram. If we had to guess, “ lilg04 ” is probably a person of interest now if the police are still investigating this case. (the account is now inactive). And what exactly did “lilg04″ get for posting this picture? It’s not like anybody is going to give him even a cookie for his effort. So now he gets a giant target on his back as police and 2 Chainz’s homies will eventually use his identity to track him down. Was the public embarrassment even worth it in this case? 2 Chainz was beyond embarrassed after surveillance footage of the robbery showed him tripping over his own feet on the sidewalk, lucky to ...

by Soren Baker posted June 21, 201 Tupac Shakur, who recorded music as 2Pac, will be awarded his star for his recording career. Tupac Shakur is scheduled to receive a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2014, according to Variety . The announcement was made yesterday (June 20) by  the Hollywood Walk of Fame committee chairman David Green at a ceremony where Jennifer Lopez received her star, the 2,500th star awarded. Shakur, who recorded music as 2Pac, will be awarded his star for his recording career. After touring as a roadie and dancer for Digital Underground , he earned his first major national notoriety when he appeared on Digital  Underground's 1991 single "Same Song," which was featured in the film  Nothing But Trouble . Later that year, Shakur released his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now .  The 13-cut collection featured the singles "Trapped," which discussed police brutality, and "Brenda's Got A Baby," which fo...

A platoon of state police detectives are inside and outside the North Attleboro home of Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez tonight following multiple reports the star football player is being questioned about a murder at a nearby industrial park. The team declined to comment about the 23-year-old, but Patriots Vice President of Media Relations Stacey James did release the following statement tonight: “I am aware of the reports, but I do not anticipate that we will be commenting publicly during an ongoing police investigation.” The Bristol District Attorney’s Office tells the Herald a witness reported finding a body in an industrial park at about 5:30 p.m. yesterday. The industrial park is located about a half mile away from the sprawling Hernandez home. Flash photography lit up the home tonight while state police officers searched the road outside the player's home along the road leading up to the industrial park. SI.com — the website for Sports Ill...

  Brenda Byrd, left, and Sheila Joiner were arrested Wednesday for allegedly allowing Byrd's 10-year-old grandson to drive them home because they were drunk. If you're going to be doing some drinking, it's a very good idea to designate a sober driver. But not just any sober driver. A sober driver who can see over the steering wheel because he is of legal driving age is ideally what you should be looking for. This bit of common knowledge failed to regis...

...

By Simon Tomlinson PUBLISHED: 08:00 EST, 13 June 2013 | UPDATED: 18:30 EST, 13 June 2013 A love-struck boyfriend is refusing to testify against his partner who is accused of shooting him because he wants to marry her. Randolph Costa was allegedly blasted at close range by Evelyn Barnave who faces 25 years in jail if found guilty of attempted murder. The 59-year-old initially pointed the finger at his girlfriend, but he is now refusing to co-operate with prosecutors in her trial at Brooklyn Supreme Court. True love never dies: Randolph Costa was allegedly shot by partner Evelyn Barnave - but he refuses to testify because he wants the couple to get married. Love conquers all: Evelyn Barnave, with her lawyer, in court in Brooklyn on Wednesday where she¿s on trial for allegedly putting a bullet into her boyfriend Randolph Costa's head - he refuses to testify against her. He told the New York Post : 'I'm just ...