Who is Jack Atwood, attorney for Davie Jerome, charged in Plymouth's death

PLYMOUTH – From a man convicted of raping and killing his 13-year-old Kingston neighbor to a Carver mother found not guilty of killing her 3-year-old son by reason of insanity, the attorney appointed to represent a Plymouth man charged with murder has a long list of high-profile clients spanning decades.

Plymouth lawyer Jack Atwood has been practicing since 1972 and has been a lawyer in a number of high-profile cases. Atwood often takes on these cases as a court-appointed attorney.

In 1991, he represented Henry Meinholz, who was convicted of raping and murdering his 13-year-old neighbor in Kingston. In 2003, he defended Pamela Murphy, a drunk driver who killed Melanie Powell, 13, of Marshfield, the namesake of “Melanie’s Law.”

He defended Helen Kirk, Carver’s mother who killed her three-year-old son in 2005 and was later found not guilty by reason of insanity. He is currently David Jerome’s attorney.

David Jeromecharged with murder in Plymouth parking lot

Atwood represents David Jerome, who was driving his Toyota Rav4 with his 18-month-old son in a car seat shortly before 6 p.m. on October 25 when he got into an accident with 41-year-old Brent Berkeley, who was driving his Jeep. Berkeley, who was shot several times during an ensuing altercation, died.

Jerome was indicted Plymouth District Court on Monday. He is charged with murder, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, recklessly endangering a child, improper storage of a firearm, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, improper storage of ammunition and possessing a large capacity. power supply device.

Marcelo Almeidaconvicted of murdering a girlfriend in Marshfield

Atwood was the court-appointed attorney for Marcelo Almeida, an undocumented immigrant from Brazil charged with murder in the 2011 stabbing death of his 24-year-old girlfriend, Patricia Frois, at her Marshfield apartment complex. Atwood said at the time that Almeida’s actions were not calculated and were more like manslaughter.

Almeida was convicted of first-degree murder in 2015. On appeal, Almeida argued that he deserved a new trial because the judge who oversaw his first trial had given the jury poor instructions and failed to reign in prosecutors as they presented evidence about Almeida’s murder. history of fights with Frois, which he said biased the jury against him. The state Supreme Court in 2018 upheld the first-degree murder conviction.

Michael Beaudryacquitted of murder over the death of Weymouth’s father

Atwood represented Michael Beaudry who was on trial for manslaughter, assault and battery in the death of his father in Weymouth.

Beaudry was arrested in February 2013 after police found him outside their home holding a shirt to his father’s bloodied head and pleading for help. His father, 58-year-old Ronald Beaudry, was taken to South Shore Hospital and died a short time later.

Prosecutors said Beaudry hit his father in the head with a plastic pipe and knocked him to the ground after an argument over a BB gun. A jury acquitted Beaudry of manslaughter, assault and battery in 2014.

Helen Kirkfound not guilty in the death of Carver’s 3-year-old son

Atwood represented Helen Kirk, who later changed her legal name to Helen McLaughlin, a Carver woman who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of her 3-year-old son.

Helen Kirk told police she believed her son Justin was “the devil” after she strangled the boy in March 2005.

Kirk waived her right to a jury trial and a judge found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was admitted to Taunton State Hospital.

Mark O’Brienconvicted of murder in Plymouth

Atwood represented Mark O’Brien, a South Boston man who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury convicted him of murder following the horrific 2015 death of a Marshfield man.

O’Brien and two other men, Michael Moscaritolo of Quincy, and James W. Ferguson of Stoneham, plotted a burglary that ended with the death of Robert McKenna, who was found dead in a pool of blood in his Marshfield kitchen in September. 2015.

When the burglary failed, McKenna was pushed through a window, severing an artery in his arm, and hit in the head with a frying pan.