BOSTON — Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley will step down as chief law enforcement officer for Boston, Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop Wednesday and Assistant District Attorney John P. Pappas will serve out the remainder of his term.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday that he selected Pappas, of West Roxbury, to lead the Suffolk DA’s office after Conley departs an office he has led for more than 16 years.
Pappas has been a Suffolk prosecutor for almost 25 years and has served as Conley’s chief trial counsel since 2011.
“Governor Baker has made an outstanding selection,” Conley said in a statement. “John Pappas worked his way up from attending law school at night to supervising more than 150 lawyers responsible for tens of thousands of cases each year. He’s served the people of Suffolk County at every level of the office.”
As chief trial counsel, said Conley, Pappas is highly respected by staff, the bench, and the defense bar. As assistant district attorney assigned to some of Boston’s most serious violent crimes, he embraces the office’s mission to speak for victims and pursue the interests of justice, in and out of the courtroom, he said.
“There is no question that Mr. Pappas is qualified to lead the office, inspire his team, and serve the public as Suffolk County district attorney. He has my utmost trust and confidence as he does so in the weeks and months to come.”
Pappas pledged to continue the work of the office and ensure a smooth transition with Suffolk County’s next elected district attorney. He said he was grateful for the opportunity to continue the legacy of “innovation, excellence, and service” that Conley has built during his career.
“I’m honored by the chance to lead an office of such talented, dedicated, and compassionate men and women who work so hard to achieve justice for the people of Suffolk County,” said Pappas in a statement. “And I am indebted to the individuals, families, and communities who have taught me so much in my years as a prosecutor. Our work together will continue seamlessly in the weeks and months to come.”
Pappas is a first-generation son of Greek immigrants and a lifelong resident of Boston.
In his current position, he provides legal and strategic guidance to Superior Court prosecutors from the grand jury stage to trial; evaluates wrongful conviction and other post-conviction claims; and carries a full caseload of complex homicide investigations and prosecutions. Previously, he served for a decade in the DA’s Homicide Unit, Senior Trial Unit, Gang Unit, and General Felony Unit.
Before those assignments, he was a line prosecutor and then a supervising prosecutor in the Boston Municipal Court and East Boston District Court.
Pappas is a graduate of Boston Latin School, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and New England School of Law, where he attended the night division, wrote for the New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement, and earned his juris doctorate in 1993.
In 1996 he taught as an adjunct trial practice instructor at Suffolk University Law School for a year. He was recognized by his colleagues with the 2003 Suffolk Award for Outstanding Superior Court Prosecutor and, more recently, was presented with the 2016 William C. O’Malley Prosecutor of the Year Award by the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.
