Prosecutor Fired For Helping CBS Show
A state prosecutor has been fired for sharing audio tapes and other evidence in a murder case with the CBS News show 48 Hours Mystery, according to a published report.
Susan Corcoran, who successfully prosecuted three men for the killing of 84-year-old Marina Calabro, was dismissed for giving the show tapes and other materials, The Patriot Ledger of Quincy reported Monday, citing law enforcement sources who asked not to be named.
Corcoran declined to comment on her dismissal. David Traub, a spokesman for Norfolk District Attorney William Keating, did not return two calls seeking comment.
CBS News issued the following statement in response to the report:
In the course of covering the trial of Thomas Lally, "48 Hours" recorded audiotapes, i.e., evidence in the case, as they were played in open court, with the explicit permission of presiding judge Charles Grabau. To secure higher quality audiotapes of that same material, a routine procedure for broadcast news organizations, "48 Hours" asked permission to make an audio copy of the trial prosecutor's tapes. After making that copy, "48 Hours" returned the tapes to the trial prosecutor.Lally, 24, of Norton, was sentenced to life in prison in March after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder for Calabro's death on Dec. 16, 2001.
In June, Marina's grandnephew, Anthony Calabro, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for serving as the lookout. Witnesses testified at Lally's trial that Anthony Calabro wanted his great-aunt killed so he could collect a $200,000 inheritance.
A third man, Jason Weir, 21, of Norton, reached a plea deal with prosecutors for a reduced charge of manslaughter.
Weir's lawyer, Edward J. McCormick III, said he learned earlier this month from the district attorney's office that Corcoran had left and that another prosecutor was now handling the case.
Corcoran, who was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1986, has handled murder and other major cases in Norfolk County for several years.