Suffolk D.A. names new head chief homicide prosecutor

REVERE – Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley named his new chief homicide prosecutor Thursday, tapping Assistant District Attorney Edmond J. Zabin to lead the unit that investigates and prosecutes all homicides in Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop.”The Chief of the Suffolk Homicide Unit is my designee to oversee and direct far and away the largest number of homicide investigations and trials anywhere in the Commonwealth,” Conley said in a press release. “The range and complexity of the cases Ed Zabin has handled throughout his career, the leadership he has demonstrated, the respect he enjoys among his colleagues and our law enforcement partners, and the compassion he has for victims all helped to convince me that he was the right choice for this position.”Above all else, however, this position demands a commitment to the highest legal, ethical and professional standards and Ed Zabin embodies those ideals.”In his 15 years as a prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Zabin has represented the Commonwealth in hundreds of trials. He began his career as Suffolk County prosecutor in 1993 and served as an attorney in the Appeals Division and in the Dorchester District Court. He was appointed Supervisor of the Dorchester District Court in 1995 and in 1997 was promoted to the Superior Court.Zabin was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star by Boston Magazine in 2005 and received the Suffolk Award for Outstanding Superior Court Prosecutor the same year.In 2002, Conley promoted Zabin to the Homicide Unit, and in 2006 he tapped Zabin to serve in the dual capacity of Deputy Chief of the Homicide unit and Chief of the Senior Trial Unit – a team of prosecutors who handle some of the most serious and complex violent crimes committed in Suffolk County.Shortly after meeting with Zabin, Conley notified Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis of his decision.In recent years, Zabin has obtained first-degree murder convictions in several high-profile cases, including the stabbing death of Deputy Sheriff Richard Dever in Charlestown, the domestic violence homicide of Berenice Tejeda in Roslindale, and the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Nabil Essaid outside a downtown movie theater.More recently, Zabin directed the Grand Jury investigation that led to indictments against one principal and three accessories for the murder last fall of Revere Police Officer Daniel Talbot. Zabin also supervised the investigation into the shooting death of Chiara Levin, shot to death in a gunfight outside a Dorchester house party in early 2007; two defendants are currently awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges in connection with her slaying.The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Homicide Unit handles 40 percent or more of all the homicides committed in Massachusetts each year. As chief of that unit, Zabin will review every suspicious or unattended death and assign a prosecutor whom he will oversee to direct a thorough, professional, and exacting investigation to determine whether criminal charges are warranted and against whom.”I’m honored and humbled at the trust District Attorney Conley has placed in me. This unit has a well-earned reputation for its hard work and high legal and ethical standards. I’m excited at the prospect of helping to take it to an even higher level. I’m grateful for the opportunity D.A. Conley has given me to work with the best and brightest State and Boston Police homicide detectives, and the finest team of prosecutors, advocates, investigators, and legal staff anywhere in the Commonwealth.””I demand a high standard of excellence from everyone who serves in this office,” Conley said. “The people I look to as leaders are the ones who demand even more of themselves. As deputy chief of the Homicide Unit and chief of the Senior Trial Unit, ADA Zabin set an extraordinarily high bar for himself. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and an unimpeachable sense of fair play. He brings tremendous experience and universal r