Waltham Murder Case Appeal Denied: Court

WALTHAM, MA — A Massachusetts Supreme Judicial court denied a motion for a new trial in the case of a Roxbury resident convicted of killing a Waltham man after a robbery in Newton didn't pan out more than a decade ago.

Daniel Louis, who was 23 at the time, was convicted of killing then 29-year-old Adam Coveney in Waltham in 2010. Louis was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 after a Middlesex Superior Court jury found him guilty of killing Coveney "in cold blood."

Two Newton teenagers, Benjamin Peirce, then 17, and Shaquan Jacobs, then 18, also pleaded guilty in connection with the Sept. 30, 2010 shooting death of 29-year-old Adam Coveney of Waltham, who graduated from Waltham High School in 1999.

Jacobs was sentenced to life in prison for his role, with possibility of parole after 15 years. Peirce was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison for his role.

What happened?

The trio attempted to rob a fellow Newton North student they knew well.

Peirce and Jacobs met up with Louis on Sept. 30, 2010 and attempted to rob a fellow Newton North student they knew well. When they failed to lure her outside her home, they planned to meet up with Coveney to buy Percocet. They brought a gun along with masks, gloves and bleach, Patch previously reported.

Louis texted Coveney several times under the guise of buying several Percocet tablets, according to court documents.

But instead of buying the tablets, when Coveney came out of his apartment, the three men jumped him, kicking him to the ground, grabbing the drugs and Louis shot him. They then ran to a car where a third Newton resident, Wallace Duarte and another Waltham woman were waiting.

According to the Middlesex District Attorney, at approximately 11:05 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2010, Waltham Police received a report of possible shots fired at 879 Lexington St. — the Colonial Manor Apartments. When police got there, they found Coveney suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, shortly after.

What was Louis's argument?

In his appeal, Louis argued that his text messages were improperly admitted in evidence at trial, and that the data from his cell phone that put him near the scene of the murder was obtained without warrant or probable cause and unconstitutional.

He also argued that a witness' identification of him at the trial should have been ruled inadmissible.

The court disagreed, saying although the text messages were included as evidence in error at first, there was enough probable cause to keep them. It said the witness identification was also valid, based on its review.

Louis's attorney did not immediately return request for comment.

See the court response here: Louis Case by ReporterJenna on Scribd

Previous coverage:

• Newton Resident Accused of Murder Back in Court
• Disputes Remain Over Evidence for Newton Teens ... - Patch
• Jury Selection In Waltham Murder Case Begins
• Newton Teens' Murder Trial Pushed Back
• Newton Man Charged with Being Accessory to a Murder ...
• Newton Man Pleads Guilty in Waltham Murder Trial - Patch
• Guilty Verdict in Coveney Murder Trial
• New Twist in Murder Trial Involving Newton Teen ...