Edwin Alemany was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the July 2013 stabbing death of 24-year-old Amy Lord, rejecting the defense’s assertion that Alemany was insane while committing his crimes.
Alemany, 30, was sentenced after Lord’s mother, Cynthia Lord, and Kayleigh Ballantyne, who survived being stabbed five times by Alemany during his 20-hour spree of violence that included Lord’s murder, spoke of the impact of Alemany’s attacks.
According to the Boston Globe, Cynthia Lord spoke to Ballantyne and Alexandra Cruz, Alamany’s third stabbing victim in his daylong spree, during her statement while acknowledging her family’s grief and also gratitude for law enforcement:
[Lord] called her daughter’s death a “senseless act of violence” that has left behind “unimaginable pain” for herself, her family, and the friends of Lord, who grew up in Wilbraham.
In a courtroom that was already heavy with emotion, the intensity increased when Lord turned to Ballantyne and Cruz and spoke to them directly.
“You are wonderful women who deserve and will have lives full of love and happiness,” Lord said as many sitting in the audience audibly sobbed. “We will always be carrying you in our hearts right beside Amy for the rest of our lives.”
Cynthia Lord also expressed her appreciation for the Boston police homicide detectives. By name, Lord’s mother thanked staffers from Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office: prosecutors John Pappas and Zachary Hillman, victim witness advocate Katherine Moran, and staffer Catherine Rodriguez.
“They have been our rock,” she said. “And more importantly, Amy’s heroes.”
During testimony, Alemany’s lawyer argued that his client was insane during his daylong spree of violence:
Alemany’s lawyer, Jeffrey Denner, conceded Alemany’s guilt, but urged jurors to take his mental state into account. During the trial, a psychiatrist testified that Alemany was raped as a child and beset by mental illness from a young age.
But it took jurors less than a half day to decide Alemany was mentally competent and thus responsible for Lord’s death. He was also convicted of kidnapping, armed carjacking, two counts of armed robbery, and assault and battery.
According to the Globe, Alemany’s lawyer acknowledged the difficulty of the insanity defense, saying jurors are often reluctant to acquit someone in “crimes of this magnitude:”
“It’s asking too much,” he said, adding that jurors might fear that Alemany eventually would be released if not found guilty.
Denner said Alemany was a “very sick man,” who had not gotten the psychiatric help he desperately needed.
Before he was arrested, prosecutors say Alemany kidnapped Lord, forced her to withdraw nearly $1,000 from several ATMs, and then stabbed her repeatedly, dumping her body in a Boston park and lighting fire to her Jeep.
What to read about this case:
- The Boston Globe: Edwin Alemany sentenced to life in prison for killing Amy Lord (June 9, 2015)
- The Boston Globe: Jury rejects insanity defense in Amy Lord murder trial (June 8, 2015)
- The Boston Globe: Defendant’s illness delays testimony in Amy Lord case (May 27, 2015)
- The Boston Globe: Amy Lord’s mother weeps during testimony at Alemany murder trial (May 26, 2015)
- The Boston Globe: Earlier attack detailed in trial of Amy Lord’s accused killer (May 21, 2015)
- The Boston Globe: At trial, prosecutor describes final hours of Amy Lord’s life (May 20, 2015)
- The Boston Globe reports on a detective demoted for not arresting Alemany after he allegedly attacked a woman in 2012 and left her unconscious. The victim awoke holding his wallet that contained his Alemany’s ID card. (Jan. 3, 2015)
- The Boston Herald’s Peter Gelzinis’ column after the first trial day: ‘Silent witnesses’ tell desperate tale in Amy Lord slaying (May, 21, 2015)
- The Boston Globe: Edwin Alemany socialized after killing Amy Lord, prosecutor says (Dec. 11, 2013)
- The Boston Globe: The long spiral down of Edwin Alemany; From early childhood, Amy Lord’s accused killer gave many warning signs of uncontrolled mental illness (Aug. 11, 2013)
- The Boston Globe: Amy Lord remembered as role model, friend (July 30, 2013)
