U.S. Marshals apprehended a Puerto Rican man in Willimantic, Connecticut on Thursday, who was wanted for allegedly shooting and killing a man in Massachusetts in December.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service said 28-year-old Lee George-Maldonado faces multiple charges in Fall River, Massachusetts, including murder, carrying a firearm without a license, attempting to commit a crime, kidnapping with a firearm, and two counts of attempted assault with a firearm. He also faces domestic violence charges in Puerto Rico.

Detectives with the Fall River Police Department investigated the shooting of 44-year-old Juan Castro, who was found dead outside his home on Bank Street on Dec. 23, 2023.

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Following the investigation, police obtained a warrant for Maldonado’s arrest on May 17, and requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and take him into custody.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force tracked Maldonado to a residence in Willimantic, Connecticut, where he was ultimately apprehended with the help of SWAT members from the Willimantic Police Department.

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The U.S. Marshals have recently been involved in several successful fugitive captures in New England. (File )

Maldonado is currently being held, pending extradition to Massachusetts to face charges against him.

The Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force is made up of several agencies, including police departments in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk and Waterbury, as well as U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

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The task force seeks out and arrests violent fugitives and sexual predators, and since the group’s inception in 1999, they have arrested people wanted for being unregistered sex offenders or on charges of murder, assault, probation and parole violations and more.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – As the Massachusetts Senate continues to debate their budget bill, an amendment to combat antisemitism passed last night.

We spoke with Senator John Velis, and he told us it was an emotional night in State House as many of his Jewish colleagues shared their experiences with antisemitism. He believes requiring the state to come up with a curriculum to educate students and teachers on the vast history of antisemitism is a step in the right direction. Especially as the number of antisemitic instances are on the rise here in the Commonwealth.

Longmeadow parent Shelley Barron told us, “My involvement was really catalyzed by, there was an incident where there was a swastika found on a whiteboard in Longmeadow High School seen by the child of a friend of mine and by our child, so that was very distressing for many of us here in the Longmeadow and kind of the Lower Valley Jewish community.

Shelley Barron is a parent of a 1st grader at Blueberry Hill Elementary School in Longmeadow. As a Jewish mom raising Jewish children, she told us she’s noticed an uptick in antisemitic biases, especially since October 7th when the Israel-Hamas war officially ignited.

This uptick in hatred here in western Mass is what has led her to become an advocate for educating students and the public on the harm of antisemitism, and now an amendment to the state senate budget introduced by Senator John Velis would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to come up with a curriculum to educate students and teachers on antisemitism both historically and beyond. It passed 40 to 0 on Wednesday night.

Velis explained, “I’ve had a lot of meetings recently. I should say with constituents telling me about their kids, kids eight years old, just young young, young telling me about how their loved one, their child, their grandson, granddaughter is embarrassed to say, sad to say, scared to say that they’re Jewish.”

From vandalism to physical assault and verbal harassment, Senator Velis told us antisemitism in our state has gone up over 100%.

To put that in perspective, only 3 percent of our state’s population is Jewish, meanwhile, that small group of our population is on the receiving end of over  60% of all hate crimes that occur in Massachusetts.

Senator Velis added there are five states with 50% of Jewish hate and antisemitism in the U.S. and Massachusetts is among those five.

These alarming numbers are why the senate is working to lend a hand to our Jewish residents and find the root cause of this severe hatred.

Barron added, “I think it’s actually really important to integrate age appropriate curriculum to create safer schools for all children.”

CEO of the Jewish Federation of Western Mass told us there is a lack of understanding by many administrations and officials on what truly qualifies as an act of antisemitism, and they are noticing a lot of hatred going unreported. Gorenstein feels this amendment could potentially help to target this issue.

“I hope that it will help our schools and communities better recognize and connect the dots when these small, isolated things actually happen that they are part of a bigger picture unfortunately and a framework that we want to be disrupting.”

The budget is being reviewed in the Senate as we speak, and once passed, it will then go to a conference committee to come up with a compromise bill with the house.  Senator Velis is optimistic that this antisemitism education amendment will be included in the final draft. I did reach out to DESE as well as the Massachusetts Teachers Association for comment but haven’t yet heard back.

Copyright 2024. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.

News release from MassBay Community College.

WELLESLEY HILLS, MA — MassBay Community College 2024 graduate Michal Grinis of Natick, MA, has been awarded the esteemed Foster Furcolo Award. This Award is presented annually to one graduate from each of Massachusetts’ 15 community colleges who exemplifies outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to community service. The Scholarship is accompanied by a two-year scholarship covering tuition and most mandatory fees to attend the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The Foster Furcolo Scholarship is named after Massachusetts’ 60th Governor, John Foster Furcolo. Governor Furcolo was the first Italian American governor of the Commonwealth, an active promoter of community colleges, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1949–1952.

“This scholarship means the world to me because this is my future,” said Grinis. “I am thankful and proud, but was shocked when I received word I had been selected as the 2024 recipient because there were many qualified applicants. When I filled out my application, I thought it would be a slim chance I would be noticed. This shows the importance of sharing your story and raising your voice. Whenever you do that, you will stand out and someone will recognize your hard work.”

Grinis moved to the United States when she was 11 years old and faced numerous challenges when she and her family relocated for her father’s job, including learning a new language, meeting new friends, and navigating a new community. Her journey to academic success is a reflection of her resilient spirit and determination to reach her goals. Grinis considered various paths after graduating from Natick High, but following in her sister’s footsteps, she came to MassBay to find a career path.

“My family has been an instrumental support system, giving me the confidence to pursue my goals. My dad, in particular, has played a very important and inspirational role in my life. Without my dad’s foresight to come here and start from zero, to create a new life for our family, I would not be here.”

In addition to her family, Grinis credits her advisor for helping her rediscover her love for the law and helping her pivot her career track. “I initially came to MassBay to take classes for a year and then transfer, but I found a supportive community that wanted to help me succeed and find my passion in life. My advisor, Cheryl MacMillian, was always available and helpful in guiding me,” she said. “Also, with MassBay Transfer Advisor Karen Akukwe’s help with coordinating all the details to transfer to UMass Boston, I was able to reach my goals and move at my own pace to get where I wanted to be.”

Grinis will be graduating from MassBay in May with her Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts. She will transfer to UMass Boston to pursue a bachelor’s in political science with the goal of attending law school and becoming an attorney.