Monday, April 29, 2013
There’s a man-eating plant and a guy with a ski mask and a knife in his teeth midway along any given nature path — or so you might think, if you read enough Martha's Vineyard mystery novels.
The late Phil Craig, who died in May of 2007, had a thing for corpses washing up on any one of our scenic shores. In the story-line, J.W. Jackson, ex-cop, fisherman, overall cool guy (just like Phil!), would set aside his fishing rod for a few days, and kiss his super-supportive wife Zee on the forehead before he dashed off to sort out all this sudden skullduggery on our normally calm and safe little island. Whenever J.W. needed to stop and eat before he began to feel peakish, he whipped up something divine, always with whatever fresh fish or seafood had magically jumped into his bucket, and with whatever veggies and herbs could be scavenged from his garden. In real life, Phil and his wife, Shirley, adored the culinary arts, and eventually…
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The Vineyard Gazette is reporting that Ovando Eghill pleaded guilty today to manslaughter and assault with a dangerous weapon.
The trial in Dukes County Superior Court of an Aquinnah man accused of murder for fatally stabbing his wife's ex-husband has ended, according to a report from the Vineyard Gazette. Saying he had not acted in self-defense as he earlier had claimed, Ovando Eghill pleaded guilty this morning to manslaughter and assault with a dangerous weapon in the June 14, 2011 stabbing of Michael Trusty, the Gazette reports. Read the full report here. Eghill will serve two sentences totaling seven years in the Dukes County house of correction and is also subject to deportation to his native Jamaica, according to the Gazette. Trusty was formerly married to Eghill's wife and the children from both marriages were being cared for at a home in Tisbury where the…
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The Vineyard Gazette reports that jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of Ovando Eghill, accused of murdering his wife's ex-husband in Tisbury last year.
Jury selection has begin in the murder trial of Ovando Eghill, the Aquinnah man who fatally stabbed his wife's machete-wielding ex-husband Michael Trusty during a dispute in Tisbury last year, according to the Vineyard Gazette. Trusty was formerly married to Eghill's wife and the children from both marriages were being cared for at the home in Tisbury where the stabbing took place June 14. Trusty died of his injuries at a Boston hospital June 18. For more about the case, please see For more police and court news on and off the Vineyard, please see our Police & Fire section, available in the News tab above or by clicking here. Stay Patched in! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | Like Martha's Vineyard Patch on Facebook | Sign up …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Was it self-defense or murder? The trial of Ovando Eghill is set to begin in Edgartown today, according to the Cape Cod Times.
Nearly two years after Ovando Eghill was first accused of fatally stabbing his wife's ex-husband, Michael Trusty, his murder trial is set to begin today, according to the Cape Cod Times. As reported on Martha's Vineyard Patch, Eghill and Trusty began arguing on the evening of June 15, 2011, in front of a home in Vineyard Haven where a caregiver was watching both Eghill and Trusty’s children. Each man has a child with Kelly Eghill, Eghill's wife and Trusty's ex-wife. During the argument, both men armed themselves with blades: Eghill said Trusty first menaced him with a machete, after which Eghill defended himself with a work knife. Trusty was stabbed in the heart and airlifted to a Boston hospital, where he died June 18. Eghill was freed on…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Two men face charges after they reportedly slashed at and choked other bar patrons at the Ritz in Oak Bluffs Sunday, according to the Martha's Vineyard Times. Arrest information does not indicate convictions.
The Martha's Vineyard Times is reporting the arrests Sunday of two men police say started a brawl at the Ritz in Oak Bluffs early that morning, slashing at one patron with a knife and choking another while threatening to kill him. Several unidentified assailants also took part in beating one of the victims in the street before running away, according to the Times report. The victims were treated at Martha's Vineyard Hospital and their alleged attackers were arrested after an all-day police search, the Times reports, adding that the men have since been released on bail and were arraigned Monday in Edgartown District Court on charges including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault to murder. Arrest information does not …
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The year was 1940; the scene was ugly, the pursuit of justice went awry.
It was a crime straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. A dark and stormy night. Waves smashing against the cliffs below. Off the East Chop lighthouse, the fog horn tolled. There was a scream in the night sloughed off as somebody’s nightmare. And in the morning, a woman was found dead in her room at the Rice Theatre dormitory, choked and struck three times with a blunt instrument. The only part missing from an Agatha Christie mystery was the recap in the drawing room where Miss Marple reveals the murderer. In those days the villain never drawled, “Guess I’d better lawyer up,” but instead bolted for the door, or drew out a revolver, or shouted, “The bastard had it coming!”, all of which made it easy to tie up loose ends in a couple more …
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Preliminary police report and court arraignment shine light on the events that led to a stabbing in Vineyard Haven on Tuesday.
The following describes the sequence of events of the stabbing that took place in Vineyard Haven on Tuesday night, as outlined in the Tisbury Police Department’s preliminary police report and at a court arraignment Wednesday Morning. According to the preliminary police report, Ovando Eghill—who was arraigned in Edgartown District Court on Wednesday morning on one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for stabbing Michael Trusty—told officers that he had driven to 97 Spring Street to drop off his two children at the home of Stacy Costa early Tuesday evening. Costa takes care of Eghill's children, according to the police report. Eghill told police officers that he entered the home at 97 Spring Street through the back door. …
An Aquinnah man was arraigned in court Wednesday, following an altercation that involved a machete and a work knife.
An Aquinnah resident was arraigned in Edgartown District Court on Wednesday after allegedly stabbing a man in the heart outside a Vineyard Haven home. The victim, Michael Trusty, was air-lifted to Boston Tuesday night, where he reportedly underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition. Officers were called to the scene at 97 Spring Street 5:56 p.m., following a 911 call that “Someone is dying here.” When officers arrived on the scene, they found Trusty lying unresponsive on the ground, adjacent to a pick-up truck. He had blood on his shirts and pants. Defense attorney Charles Morano told the court that the defendant, Ovando Eghill, has “a valid self-defense argument” for the attack, and that an eyewitness saw Trusty holding a …
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Police have said they have "no statement at this time."
Updated, 8:05 a.m.: The Tisbury Police Department has confirmed that the victim of an assault and battery in Vineyard Haven yesterday, believed to have resulted in a murder, has survived. "There was no murder; there is someone arrested for assault and battery," said Det. Mark Santon of the Tisbury Police Department. Santon said the victim was transported off-Island for treatment, and that a suspect is in custody. That suspect is expected to be arraigned in Edgartown District Court this morning. Multiple reports indicate that the victim was air-lifted off the Island. Tisbury police officer Kelly Kershaw was seen standing outside a home on Spring Street this morning. Kershaw said she was not on duty at the time, and was unsure of the exact …
41.45429
-70.603009
1 Spring St, Vineyard Haven, MA
/articles/rumored-murder-in-vineyard-haven
/locations/4612211
Louisa Hufstader
8:57 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
Can't wait to hear what you think, Holly. Michael, I can only hope I am remembering it wrong! more ›