Twitter Feeds of reporters in the courtroom: https://twitter.com/waylandenews/fujita-trial
ABC News 2/14/13: Trial Begins for Man Charged With Killing Ex-Girlfriend. The lawyer for a 20-year-old Massachusetts man, charged with stabbing and strangling his ex-girlfriend, says his client killed the woman he loved because he took the breakup hard and was suffering from a psychotic episode. Nathaniel Fujita faces life in prison without parole if he’s convicted in the 2011 death of Lauren Astley. Astley’s body was found July 4, 2011, in a swamp near the couple’s hometown of Wayland, Mass. Fujita has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Boston Globe 2/14/13: Wayland teen’s erratic behavior described at murder trial. Nathaniel Fujita was humiliated when his high school sweetheart broke up with him in the spring of their senior year. He pleaded with her to come back, and when that did not work, he began harassing her, ranting and raving and nearly knocking over a tent in a fit of rage at her graduation party, prosecutors say. On July 3, 2011, Fujita allegedly invited 18-year-old Lauren Astley to his parents’ Wayland home, told her to park her car out of sight, and then strangled her with a bungee cord, slashed her throat, and hit her, prosecutor Lisa McGovern told jurors Wednesday at Fujita’s murder trial in Middlesex Superior Court.
Wayland Patch 2/13/13: Fujita Could Take the Stand in His Murder Trial. The 92-name witness list in the trial of Nathaniel Fujita does not include the defendant’s name, but that doesn’t mean he won’t testify. According to defense attorney William Sullivan, the decision as to whether his client will testify in his own first-degree murder trial “has not been made yet.”
Boston Globe 2/13/13: Wayland man killed his former girlfriend because he was humiliated by their break-up, prosecutor tells jury. The prosecutor in the trial of Nathaniel Fujita told jurors this morning that the Wayland man killed his one-time girlfriend because he was humiliated when she broke up with him and he murdered her in revenge. Fujita is accused of strangling and slashing to death Lauren Astley on July 3, 2011. Both were 18 years old at the time, and were college-bound Wayland High School graduates; Fujita was an accomplished athlete and Astley a talented singer.
Boston Herald 2/13/13: Murder trial in Wayland slaying kicks off. Former Wayland high school football star Nathaniel Fujita was “not criminally responsible” for killing his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend because he was suffering from major depression that sparked a “psychotic episode,” the defendant’s lawyer told jurors at the opening of his murder trial in Middlesex County Superior Court today.
NECN coverage:
WCVB.com 2/13/13: Wayland teen was depressed before girlfriend’s death, defense says. A Wayland teen charged in connection with the death of his ex-girlfriend had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder weeks before the victim was found dead in a marshy area, his attorney said during opening statements Wednesday.
WHDH 2/13/13: Wayland man’s murder trial begins. There was chilling testimony in the first day of 20-year-old Nathanial Fujita’s murder trial. Fujita pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the July 2011 death of his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Astley. Both were 18 at the time and had just graduated from Wayland High School. Prosecutors say Fujita was so humiliated Astley broke up with him he wanted to inflict pain and he wanted to end her life. Video here
Wayland Patch 2/13/13: Live Blog: Defense Says Fujita Suffered from ‘Major Depressive Disorder’ at Time of Killing. Wayland Patch will be posting regular updates from the courtroom at Middlesex Suprior Court in Woburn as Nathaniel Fujita, now 20, stands trial for the murder of 18-year-old Lauren Astley in July 2011. The most recent updates will be at the top of the article with a timestamp.
Metrowest Daily News 2/13/13: Fujita suffered from major depressive disorder says defense. There is no doubt who killed Lauren Astley on July 3, 2011 – Nathaniel Fujita. Both prosecutor Lisa McGovern and Fujita’s lawyer, William Sullivan today told the jury during their opening statements during Fujita’s Middlesex Superior Court that he killed his 18-year-old girlfriend. However, they both told the jury different reasons for her death. McGovern said the murder was planned by a young man who was angry and had his ego hurt when Astley broke up with him for good earlier in the year. But Sullivan told the jury it was the actions of a man who suffered a brief psychotic episode due to a major depressive disorder.
