Bulletin: Raymond "Beaver" Tempest Jr. Rhode Island; Murder conviction vacated after 23 years in prison after his lawyers presented testimony and DNA evidence not heard in the original trial, including the fact that hair found clutched in Picard’s hand did not belong to Tempest. "Boston’s former Police Commissioner, Ed Davis, who was the lead official in the pursuit of the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects, also testified during the trial as an expert witness for the defense. Davis explained how it was a tragic case of massive incompetence, since former police chief Rodney Remblad was allegedly forced by then-police chief Joseph Baillargeon to “keep it to yourself.” Baillargeon was the godfather to a brother of the defendant." WPRI.

 "For more than two decades, Raymond “Beaver” Tempest, Jr. has maintained his innocence in the strangling death of Doreen Picard in 1982, saying he was framed by Woonsocket police. Tempest was found guilty in 1992 and sentenced to prison. His lawyers presented testimony and DNA evidence not heard in the original trial, including the fact that hair found clutched in Picard’s hand did not belong to Tempest..........Tempest took the witness stand for the first time, claiming he was drinking beer and trying to buy cocaine when the murder took place, according to the Woonsocket Call. Tempest said he was scared to invoke his alibi because his brother was a Woonsocket police officer, and he did not know about his drug use. Boston’s former Police Commissioner, Ed Davis, who was the lead official in the pursuit of the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects, also testified during the trial as an expert witness for the defense. Davis explained how it was a tragic case of massive incompetence, since former police chief Rodney Remblad was allegedly forced by then-police chief Joseph Baillargeon to “keep it to yourself.” Baillargeon was the godfather to a brother of the defendant. The defense also said that Remblad coerced false testimony from witnesses funneled to him by a relative, who was under investigation by Tempest’s brother for running a chop shop.........The prosecution, on the other hand, immediately disagreed with the judge’s ruling. “You haven’t even read my analysis and you are telling me it’s a poor argument?”  (Judge) Procaccino responded......... But they don’t get to take him home just yet — the judge said he will consider letting him out on bail on home confinement. A bail hearing has been scheduled for August." (Thanks to The Innocence Project for bringing this case to our attention. HL);
http://wpri.com/2015/07/13/man-convicted-in-82-murder-awaits-retrial-verdict/