As murder trial looms, a private investigator becomes the focus in court – Metro – The Boston Globehttp://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/12/09/murder-trial-looms-private-investigator-becomes-focus-court/PzckEJ6tAkcaomNFTH0wHM/story.htmlIt was a 15-minute conversation that resulted in an explosive accusation. A witness in a Dorchester murder trial said a private investigator had tried to persuade her not to testify for the prosecution. The investigator was called to the stand in Suffolk Superior Court to answer the allegations. The judge in the murder case, Elizabeth Fahey, found that the investigator crossed a line, and now is considering whether to report him to the state’s public defender agency. The decision followed two days of testimony about the encounter between the witness and the investigator, a highly unusual preamble to a murder case that is scheduled to begin this week with opening arguments. The testimony shed light on the behind-the-scenes tasks of private investigators, who are crucial to the defense, but often engender suspicion from law enforcement. And it underscored the tension between private investigators and homicide detectives who essentially do the same work — gather facts through witness interviews — but with conflicting agendas.
