Crime & Safety

Mortimer Trial to Begin in the Fall

It's been over a year since his arrest, but Thomas Mortimer, IV, is scheduled to begin his trial this September.

Fourteen months after Thomas Mortimer, IV, his trial will begin on Sep. 13.

The father faces in connection with the quadruple homicide in his family's Winchester home. He is accused of murdering his wife, 41-year-old Laura Stone Mortimer, her two children, 2-year-old Charlotte Mortimer and 4-year-old Thomas Mortimer V, and Laura's mother, 64-year-old Ragna Ellen Stone.

Authorities allege that the defendant murdered four members of his family after an argument with his wife and ongoing marital discord.

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Mortimer was arrested June 17, 2010 after he was sighted in Montague by a father and son. The witnesses then copied the plate number of the vehicle Mortimer was driving and reported it to local police. Mortimer was apprehended in Bernardston after attempting to flee and was arrested by members of the Bernardston Police Department later that day.

On Wednesday, June 16, 2010 police entered Mortimer's home after a relative informed police that she had not heard from the family in two days. That's when police discovered the bodies.

Find out what's happening in Winchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"After having been in that scene I can tell you, after making observations of that scene, it was horrific, disturbing and unspeakable," Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said at the time in a news conference.

Before the trial begins, Mortimer will be back in court on Wednesday, August 17 for an evidentiary hearing. In this hearing, a court officer must decide whether a crime was committed, whether the crime occurred within the territorial jurisdiction of the court, and whether there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the crime.

Over the past year, Mortimer has been in and out of court for a variety of hearings.

In the fall of 2010, the court released the to the public. Since then, Mortimer’s attorney – Denise Regan – has argued against a . The swab would collect cheek cells from inside Mortimer’s mouth. The court also needed to sort out , and determine if he could pay the state for his attorney, and if so, how much.


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