By Gintautas Dumcius
Reporter Correspondent

Avoiding a second attempt at a trial, a former Dorchester man pled guilty this week to a 1995 murder, earning a 9 to 10 year prison sentence that will run simultaneously with his 27-year sentence for another murder.

John Tibbs, 36, was sentenced in Suffolk Superior Court Tuesday by Judge Peter Lauriat. The first trial, centering on the slaying of 20-year-old Tennyson "Tenny" Drakes, ended in a deadlocked jury in October, after three weeks of testimony. Drakes had been shot in the back of the head, his back and thigh.

The murder occurred in August 1995, at the intersection of Nelson and Corbett Streets. Two other people were shot, but recovered, though one was paralyzed for life. Police initially eyed Cambridge resident, Marlon Passley, who was eventually convicted of the crime and given a life sentence before law enforcement officials mounted a new investigation. Passley had served four years of his sentence.

Tibbs is currently in prison for the Sept. 1995 murder of Steven Sealey. Tibbs had been acquitted in December of an October 1995 murder.

Prosecutors from Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley's office alleged that Tibbs shot the three individuals in August while riding on the back of a motorcycle. He was said to be striking back at gang members who had hurt one of his friends, and the three individuals were caught in the crossfire.

Alleged serial rapist sentenced to life times five

A 35-year-old Dorchester man was sentenced last week to five life sentences for three rapes five years ago.

Moonie Moses, a Guyana native, was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court and sentenced by Superior Court Judge Margaret Hinkle for the forcible rapes of two teenage girls and an adult woman with cerebral palsy. Two of those sentences will served back to back, with the rest of the sentences simultaneously, according to the Suffolk District Attorney's office.

The rapes occurred over the summer of 2002 and into the fall, the first two, of teenagers near Park Street, when he forced them into his car.

The third victim, a 32-year-old woman, was offered a ride in the rain. Moses took her to Ronald Street and raped her three times. She managed to escape and memorize the license plate, leading Boston police to track down the car.

Moses was subsequently identified through photos and DNA matches. Moses acted as his own attorney during the trial in December.

Man on trial for killing wife on Armandine St.

A case involving a 42-year-old Dorchester man, accused of brutally stabbing his wife in Nov. 2006 in a fit of jealous rage, went to trial this week.

Prosecutors with Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley's office charged that Nile Reavis "selected the biggest kitchen knife he could find" before stabbing his wife, Sandra, six times and then beating her up.

The husband and wife lived in a three-decker on Armadine St. with five children.

Traffic stop yields chase, gun charges

A 29-year-old Dorchester man on Saturday allegedly attempted to flee from Boston Police after a traffic stop at the intersection of Bowdoin Street and Geneva Avenue.

Dale Edward Newman, of 69 Bird St., was arrested on a myriad of charges, including possessing a firearm, ammunition and two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, along with resisting arrest.

Bail was set at $75,000 in Dorchester District Court on Monday by Judge Tracy-Lee Lyons. Bail on a separate case out in Roxbury District Court was revoked. His next court date is on Feb. 5, in Boston Municipal Court's Gun Court.

At about 1:04 a.m. on Jan. 5, after attempting a traffic stop with three individuals in the car, police say Newman took off down the street, discarding a fully-loaded firearm along the way.

Police towed the car, a blue Lincoln 2000 sedan, and later discovered a brand new Glock semi-automatic .40 gun hidden in one of the seats, loaded with 13 rounds, according to the police report.

Broken jaw for woman accused of attempting to rob cabbie

A woman spent the weekend in jail, with her broken jaw wired shut, after being accused of attempting to rob a taxi cab.

Kim Howard was arraigned this week in Dorchester District Court on charges of unarmed robbery. Bail was set at $500. A probable cause hearing is set for Feb. 4.

Prosecutors said at about 10 p.m. last Friday, an officer observed a taxi cab operator on Norfolk Street who said he had been robbed at the Exxon Mobil parking lot. The suspect said she had been smoking crack and drinking alcohol, according to police.

Howard's attorney, from the Committee for Public Counsel Services, denied the charges as Howard cried in the holding area. "She's in an enormous amount of pain," her attorney said, and "surprised to hear the charges."

The attorney said Howard had a dispute with the taxi cab driver. She said the alleged victim was a "past customer" of Howard's.

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