Michael O'Laughlin was accused and convicted of that beating. Annmarie Kotowski cannot tell anyone who beat her. She says she can't remember who the perpetrator is.
Michael was connected to the victim only by place of residence. They were neighbors only a few doors apart.
The evidence against Michael was painfully flimsy and barely circumstantial. It consisted of a baseball bat found in a vacant area covered in leaves and debris with Michael's name engraved on it.
There is a large body of evidence pointing to another individual emotionally close to the victim who had a strong motive and the known temper to have committed the crime against Kotowski.
The police stated that the probable motive for Kotowski's beating was robbery. They claimed that Michael O'laughlin was looking for drug money. If that was the case, it seems incredible that the police would also note that NOTHING was taken from the Kotowski woman. Her purse held several dollars in it, her jewelry was not touched, nor was there anything else missing from her home.
O'Laughlin had been paid the evening of the crime and had immediately bought and sent off a money order for child support for his two young daughters. This is hardly an act of a drug-crazed crack fiend. It is the act of a responsible father who loves his children and takes care of them. Having little money left after his support payment is hardly a reason to cast suspicion on a man behaving responsibly toward his family.
The real perpetrator of this heinous crime is still walking the streets of Massachusetts, where Michael O'Lauglin used to live and where Annmarie Kotowski drives every day going about doing her normal, daily business.
The body of evidence that the police have regarding the crime clearly points at another perpetrator, a man of some prominence in his community with intimate and long attachment to the victim. There is virtually NO evidence against Michael other than a bat found in the woods, covered in leaves, long forgotten.
Because of a lack of funds, Michael O'Laughlin didn't have the ability to hire a lawyer. The courts appointed his lawyer. Though the lawyer did try to introduce proper evidence to exonerate Michael, but was stymied by the judge who refused to allow that evidence to be presented to the jury.
These are a few of the certainties that occurred at Michael's trial:
1. The judge denied two motions regarding the reliability of DNA testing
2. The judge allowed the District Attorney to knowingly introduce false testimony at Michael's trial.
3. The judge withheld the Defense from introducing evidence that was seized at the scene of the crime.
4. The State Crime Lab conveniently destroyed DNA tests, which were exculpatory evidence.
5. The judge allowed the District Attorney to exhibit false evidence to the jury.
6. The judge was quoted both before and after the trial that the victim was beaten with a baseball bat, even though there was no proof that a baseball bat was the weapon used in the crime.
Michael O'Laughlin had never been incarcerated prior to his arrest for the assault on Kotowski. According to his defense attorney, there is more than ample cause for an appeal on behalf of Michael. Unfortunately, the appeals process is incredibly expensive and time consuming for an attorney. To find funds to accomplish an appeal is the purpose of this website. This is a cry for help.
Michael has been sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in a maximum-security prison for a beating he didn't commit. He will be a very old man if and when he gets out if he isn't able to appeal his case before a higher court. This is a virtual life sentence for Michael, who was 37 years old at the time of sentencing. He has already spent close to two and a half years in jail for this crime. Eighteen months of it in a county jail because he didn't have the money for bail.
The beginning cost for his appeal as prescribed by a very knowledgeable attorney in Massachusetts, is upwards of $20,000. This is an enormous sum of money for anyone and untenable for someone with no resources at all.
