AS THESE EVENTS ARE EXTREMELY HARD FOR ME TO RELIVE AND EVEN HARDER TO PUT DOWN AND WRITE AND RELIVE IT ALL AGAIN THE PAGES MAY NOT GO UP AS THE EVENTS UNFOLD. BUT AS I BUILD UP THE COURAGE TO SIT DOWN AND WRITE DOWN THESE EVENTS I WILL PUBLISH THEM ON MY SITE. EVERYTHING AND EVERY DAY OF THE TRIAL WILL BE PUBLISHED BUT JUST NOT AS THEY HAPPEN OR THE DAY THEY HAPPEN. AS YOU READ THE EVENTS YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU.

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5-09-11

WE ARRIVED AT THE WHITE RIVER JUNCTION COURTHOUSE AT 8:45 AM. A DOZEN FAMILY MEMBERS MADE THE 2 HOUR TRIP FROM OUR HOME IN METHUEN, MA. AS WE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT ACROSS FROM THE COURTHOUSE WE NOTICED SEVERAL SHERIFF'S AND MARSHALL'S OUTSIDE OF THE COURTHOUSE AND IN THE PARKING LOT. WE PARKED OUR CARS AND I GOT TOGETHER MY FILES OF THE CASE NEEDED FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS OF TESTIMONY. I HAD EVERYTHING IN FOLDERS OVER A FOOT AND A HALF THICK WITH INFORMATION. THIS WAS JUST FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF WITNESSES. KELLY WOODWARD OUR ADVOCATE MET US IN THE PARKING LOT. WE WALKED UP TO THE ENTRANCE AND WAITED IN LINE TO ENTER.

AS WE ENTER THE DOORWAY WE NEEDED TO PASS THROUGH THE  METAL DETECTOR IN THE ENTRANCEWAY AND FROM THERE WE HAD TO STAND BEFORE A SHERIFF'S DEPUTY WHO WOULD THEN PASS A WAND OVER THE OUTSIDE OF OUR BODIES. EVERYONE WHO ENTERED HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCEDURE. THE TRIAL WOULD BE HELD IN COURTROOM #1 ON THE FIRST FLOOR WHICH WAS OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE ENTRANCE. DIRECTLY TO THE LEFT IS A SMALL CORRIDOR WITH 3 SMALL  ROOMS WHICH ARE USED FOR CONFERENCES. GWEN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY LAVOIE'S WIFE, AN ADVOCATE HERSELF WOULD BE ASSISTING ON THE CASE.

I WALKED DOWN THE CORRIDOR WHERE IN THE FIRST ROOM I SAW COREY BOLASKI, TRISTAN BLANCHARD AND A COUPLE OF GIRLS. THEY WERE LAUGHING AND JOKING AS IF THEY WERE AT A PARTY. WHEN THEY SAW ME THEY LOOKED RIGHT AT ME AND LAUGHED. I CONTINUED TO WALK TO THE 2ND ROOM WHERE I SAW GWEN. WE WENT OVER SOME DETAILS AND I GRABBED THE FILES I WOULD NEED FIRST AND LEFT THE REST THERE. I THEN WENT INTO THE COURTROOM. IT IS A SMALL COURTROOM. WHEN YOU FIRST WALK IN THE 16 JURY SEATS ARE DIRECTLY ON THE RIGHT. ON THE LEFT THERE WERE 3 ROWS CONSISTING OF 4 BENCHES FOR EACH ROW. EACH BENCH SAT 4 PEOPLE. ABOUT 15 FEET IN FRONT OF THE MIDDLE ROW IS THE PROSECUTORS TABLE. ABOUT 15 FEET IN FRONT OF THE 3RD ROW IS WHERE BOLASKI AND HIS ATTORNEYS KEVIN GRIFFIN AND HIS ASSISTANT MISS KUSKA SAT.

ME, MY WIFE RONNIE AND KELLY WOULD SIT IN THE FIRST ROW, SECOND BENCH. 4 MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY WOULD SIT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US. THE REST OF MY FAMILY WOULD TAKE UP THE FIRST 2 BENCHES IN THE 2ND ROW. THE 2 ROWS OF BENCHES BEHIND US WERE RESERVED FOR MEMBERS OF THE PRESS. THERE WERE A FEW THAT I RECOGNIZED FROM THE VALLEY NEWS, WCAX AND THE RUTLAND HERALD AND A FEW I DIDN'T. KYLES MOTHER, FATHER, HIS AUNT AND HIS GIRLFRIEND, JERRY UCCI'S SISTER SAT IN THE FIRST BENCH DIRECTLY BEHIND THE DEFENSE TABLE. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN 2 1/2 YEARS THAT WE EVER SAW MRS. BOLASKI AS SHE NEVER ATTENDED ANY OF THE PREVIOUS HEARINGS. THE 2 BENCHES BEHIND THEM WERE EMPTY.

I WENT AND SPOKE WITH JOHN. HE WAS GETTING THINGS TOGETHER AT THE PROSECUTORS TABLE. WE SPOKE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN HE CONTINUED HIS PREPARATION. WE WOULD SPEAK MORE LATER BUT HE WAS VERY BUSY AND I DID NOT WANT TO BREAK HIS CHAIN OF THOUGHT. BY NOW WE WERE VERY MUCH ON EDGE AND VERY EMOTIONAL. WE KNEW WE WOULD HAVE TO SIT THROUGH SOME VERY DISTURBING TESTIMONY. WE WOULD HAVE TO LISTEN TO WITNESSES, TAPES AND VIDEO WHICH WOULD TELL OF VINNIE'S LAST MOMENTS OF LIFE. WE KNEW WE WOULD BE HEARING HOW OUR SON WAS MURDERED. WE WERE PREPARED FOR SEEING THESE MEN FACE TO FACE AND HEARING THEM TALK ABOUT THE MURDER WITH ABSOLUTELY NO REMORSE. BUT NOTHING COULD EVER PREPARE US FOR SEEING AND HEARING VINNIE'S LAST MOMENTS OF LIFE AND THE TORTURE AND PAIN HE ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH AT THEIR HANDS...

OPENING STATEMENTS

RUTLAND HERALD 5-9-11

John Lavoie, Franklin County deputy state’s attorney, began his opening statements by saying the case was not a “Whodunit.” Lavoie said Kyle Bolaski of Chester shot and killed Vincent Tamburello of Springfield with a .30-06 and “no one will say it differently.”

According to Lavoie, Bolaski shot Tamburello in the leg and once in the back in a confrontation at MacKenzie field in Chester in August 2008. Lavoie showed the jury a picture of Tamburello’s leg wound.

“That is a through and through wound,” Lavoie said. “If that is so clear, why are we here?”

Bolaski is being tried on counts of second-degree murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of conditions of release.

Lavoie told the jury that this was an act of revenge. "Tamburello was lured to the field to get even for an altercation from the night before!"  The evidence will show that Vinnie was shot once in the leg, chased and shot again, in the back,  as he fled.
 

Defense attorney Kevin Griffin said Bolaski still does not know why Tamburello chose him to unleash his rage. He said the trial has parallels to the 2005 Oscar award-winning movie “Crash.” In the film, several characters from different racial and class backgrounds tell different stories about a Los Angeles carjacking incident.

“What makes ‘Crash’ so powerful is the different story lines that come together at the end (of the film). That is what this case is about,” Griffin said.

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RICHARD HOWARD

RICHARD HOWARD WAS THE FIRST WITNESS CALLED. HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY CONNECTION TO EITHER KYLE OR VINNIE. HE WAS AN INDEPENDENT WITNESS AT THE SOFTBALL FIELD. HE STATED HE HEARD THERE WAS TO BE A FIGHT AT THE FIELD. HE ALSO HEARD THAT TIM ARBUCKLE WAS OFFERED $100.00 TO HELP BEAT UP VINNIE. HE SAW A GROUP OF PEOPLE GO UP TOWARDS THE TRUCK AND SAW VINNIE COME CHASING THEM DOWN WITH AN AXE. HE SAW VINNIE GO DIRECTLY TO THE TRUCK AND START BEATING IT HITTING IT 5-6 TIMES. HE SAW BOLASKI GET A GUN FROM THE PASSENGERS SIDE OF THE TRUCK. VINNIE WAS STILL ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. KYLE SHOULDERED THE WEAPON AND SAID "ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THIS?" THEN SHOT VINNIE IN THE LEG. VINNIE TRIED TO GET AWAY. HE CHASED VINNIE AND SHOT HIM A 2ND TIME IN THE BACK. HOWARD THEN LEFT.

MISS KUSKA ASST. TO DEFENSE ATTORNEY KEVIN GRIFFIN DID NOT DO MUCH OF A CROSS EXAMINATION OF HOWARD. SHE HAD A CHART THAT WAS A REPLICA OF THE BALL FIELD MADE UP OF SHEETS APPROX. 2'X3'. SHE HAD HOWARD PUT IN DIFFERENT AREAS ON THE CHART WHERE HE AND THE OTHER PEOPLE WERE AT DIFFERENT TIMES ON THE FIELD. NO FURTHER QUESTION WERE ASKED OF HIM AND HE WAS RELEASED.

RUTLAND HERALD  5-9-11

Richard Howard was the state’s first witness to testify. He was playing in a softball tournament at the field on Aug. 17, 2008, and was not connected to Bolaski or Tamburello. After the game, Howard said “a fight was about to happen” and saw “a guy with an ax” running toward a crowd. Howard said his truck was parked at the ball field near Bolaski’s, and Tamburello hit Bolaski’s truck with the ax “five or six times.” According to Howard, he saw “a guy with black jeans” identified as Bolaski come out with a gun. Howard heard Bolaski say “Are you looking for this?” and fired his weapon.

“Tamburello was trying to get away ... Bolaski shoots again and I left after the second shot,” Howard said

 

Julie Kronberg of Springfield was the second witness. She had dated Tamburello off and on for a year and a half.

Kronberg recalled how she, Tamburello and a friend of hers were visiting Tristan Blanchard of Springfield. A former boyfriend of Kronberg’s, Ben Malloy, arrived and Tamburello was upset about their past relationship. Tensions arose between Tamburello, Blanchard and Malloy and they arranged at MacKenzie field, where the fatal events happened.

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JULIE KRONBERG

JULIE KRONBERG WAS THEN CALLED TO THE STAND BY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JOHN LAVOIE. WE HADN'T SEEN JULIE SINCE THE TIME OF THE MURDER. SHE LOOKED SCARED AND VERY NERVOUS. SHE TOLD HOW SHE MET VINNIE AND OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. THEY HAD MET KIRBY DONAHUE JUST 4 DAYS EARLIER THROUGH A MUTUAL FRIEND. SHE SAID KIRBY WAS AN OVERWEIGHT  GIRL WITH LOW SELF ESTEEM AND VINNIE HAD BEEN WORKING WITH HER AT THE GYM TRYING TO HELP HER LOSE WEIGHT BECAUSE VINNIE WAS TRYING TO GET A JOB AS A PERSONAL TRAINER AND THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD EXPERIENCE. JULIE DID NOT LIKE OR TRUST KIRBY. KIRBY HAD GONE OUT WITH GIB BASTIAN AND HAD HUNG AROUND WITH BLANCHARD AND THAT CREW UNTIL SHE AND GIB HAD SPLIT UP. KIRBY STILL LOVED GIB AND WAS TRYING TO GET BACK WITH HIM.

ON SATURDAY, 8-16-08, THE DAY BEFORE THE MURDER, KIRBY HAD ASKED VINNIE TO DRIVE HER TO TRISTAN BLANCHARD'S HOUSE TO MEET UP WITH GIB AND TRISTAN. UNKNOWN TO VINNIE, TRISTAN HAD TOLD HER SHE WAS NOT WELCOME THERE. TRISTAN WAS A DRUG DEALER AND VINNIE HAD PURCHASED MARIJUANA FROM HIM 2 DAYS EARLIER. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR VINNIE TO THINK THAT HE WAS NOT WELCOME AT TRISTAN'S HOUSE. WHILE THERE VINNIE HAD SEEN BEN, AN EX-BOYFRIEND OF JULIE'S, WHO HAD SUPPOSEDLY SENT JULIE A BAD E-MAIL. THEY ARGUED BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. VINNIE GOT IN THE CAR WITH JULIE AND KIRBY AND LEFT.

AS THEY LEFT THEY WERE THEN CHASED BY TRISTAN, AT FIRST, THEN BY BEN AND A TRUCK LOAD OF PEOPLE, TO JULIE'S HOUSE. THERE WERE 3 REASON'S WHY TRISTAN SAID THEY CHASED THEM. FIRST HE SAID VINNIE HAD STOLEN MONEY OFF HIS TABLE, THEN STOLE WEED, THEN A PERSONAL POSSESSION. IN FACT, ACCORDING TO HIS OWN TESTIMONY, TRISTAN GAVE VINNIE A BAG OF WEED IN HIS HALLWAY. DIDN'T ASK FOR MONEY. HE THEN SAID THE REAL REASON THEY CHASED VINNIE WAS BECAUSE VINNIE HAD BROKEN INTO HIS HOUSE! IT HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED WHY THEY FOLLOWED THEM.

A  LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE OF ABOUT A DOZEN ARRIVED AT  JULIE'S HOUSE AND CONFRONTED VINNIE, JULIE AND ELLEN, JULIE'S MOTHER. JULIE'S MOTHER WAS PUSHED BY ONE OF THE GIRLS WHEN VINNIE STEPPED IN TO SEPARATE THEM. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY A NEIGHBOR. GIB BASTIAN 6' 4" 350 LBS. THEN STEPPED UP TO VINNIE AND SPIT ON HIM. VINNIE HIT HIM AND KNOCKED HIM DOWN. THE COPS CAME AND THE GANG SCATTERED. VINNIE JULIE AND HER MOM FILLED OUT POLICE REPORTS.

 

SUNDAY 8-17-08

JERRY UCCI, WHO HAD NEVER MET VINNIE BEFORE, WAS WITH KYLE, HIS BROTHER COREY AND TRISTAN IN KYLE'S TRUCK. HE CALLED KIRBY'S PHONE AND GOT HOLD OF VINNIE. VINNIE SAID TO COME UP TO HIS HOUSE IF THEY WANTED TO TALK BUT JERRY ARRANGED FOR VINNIE TO MEET THEM AT MACKENZIE FIELD. BEFORE THEY WENT TO MEET VINNIE THEY WENT AND GOT 2 RIFLES FROM KYLE AND COREY'S APT. THEY THEN WENT TO THE FIELD. DISTRICT ATTORNEY JOHN LAVOIE HAD A 911 CALL, FROM JULIE, THAT HE PLAYED. RONNIE HAD LEFT THE COURTROOM. I ONLY WISH I HAD, BUT I DIDN'T. I HAD TO STAY AND HEAR IT. THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME EXCERPTS FROM THAT CALL. JULIE IS SCREAMING HYSTERICALLY! AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF TERROR IN HER VOICE! YOU CAN HEAR KIRBY ALSO SCREAMING!

"HELLO, 911. WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY?

JULIE: "HELP ME PLEASE I NEED HELP. THERE IS A GANG OF PEOPLE COMING AT US, THROWING GLASS AT US. THEY ARE GOING TO KILL US! PLEASE HELP US! PLEASE HURRY!"

911; WHERE ARE YOU? WHO ARE THEY TRYING TO KILL?

JULIE" WE ARE AT MACKENZIE FIELD. MY NAME IS JULIE. MY BOYFRIEND CHASED THEM AWAY FROM US. HE WAS TRYING TO PROTECT US BUT THEY ARE GOING TO KILL US! PLEASE HELP US! HELP US! PLEASE HURRY!

911: STAY CALM WHO IS...

JULIE: OH MY GOD, THEY'VE GOT GUNS! THEY ARE TRYING TO KILL VINNIE! PLEASE HURRY! PLEASE! PLEA... OH MY GOD, THEY SHOT HIM! THEY SHOT VINNIE! THEY'RE KILLING HIM! THEY'RE KILLING HIM! HURRY PLEASE HURRY. VINNIE! VINNIE! (Screaming and crying hysterically!" Her voice filled with terror!!) (A couple of faint shots can be heard in the background.)

911: JULIE GET OUT OF THERE! GET OUT OF THERE NOW! JULIE! GET OUT OF THERE!

JULIE: THEY'VE KILLED HIM! OH MY GOD , THEY'VE KILLED HIM! NO! NO! NO! VINNIE! PLEASE GOD NOOO! PLEASE HURRY! VINNIE! VINNIE! VINNIE!

911: JULIE GET OUT OF THERE NOW! GET OUT OF THERE!

JULIE: HE'S DEAD!! THEY'VE KILLED HIM! THEY'VE KILLED HIM! VINNIE! VINNIEEE!! NO! NO! NOOO!!  (Totally hysterical and completely filled with terror she drives out of the lot and then comes back!)

THE TAPE GOES ON FOR SEVERAL MORE MINUTES.

I COMPLETELY BROKE DOWN IN THE COURTROOM! I CRIED UNCONTROLLABLY. HEARING MY SON'S LAST MOMENTS OF LIFE. THIS WAS TEARING MY HEART OUT! MY WHOLE BODY WENT WEAK! I REMEMBER FALLING TO MY KNEES OUT OF THE BENCH. CHRIS CAME AND PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME AND HUGGED ME. EVERYONE WAS CRYING AND SOBBING. JULIE, STILL ON THE STAND, WAS CRYING OUT LOUD. A PAINFUL WAILING! THERE WAS AN EMOTIONAL PAIN IN EVERY PART OF MY BODY. I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! THE TAPE ENDED AND THE JUDGE CALLED FOR A RECESS. I COULD NOT WALK ON MY OWN. CHRIS HELD ME AND HELPED ME WALK OUTSIDE.

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I REMEMBER RONNIE'S FACE WHEN WE CAME WALKING OUT. IT WAS A PAINFUL, SHOCKED LOOK. SHE CAME OVER AND WE HUGGED. MY BODY SHAKING! ALL THE PAIN AND ANGUISH FROM THAT NIGHT THAT WE FIRST HEARD THAT VINNIE HAD DIED HAD COME BACK THREEFOLD! ALL THE PAIN, THE ANGUISH AND HEARTBREAK HAD RETURNED.

WHEN WE WALKED IN THE COURTHOUSE WE SAW JULIE IN THE HALLWAY. SHE LOOKED TERRIFIED. SHE WAS SHAKING AND CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY. MY HEART WENT OUT TO HER. RONNIE GRABBED ON TO HER AND HUGGED HER. TRYING TO CONSOLE HER. I THEN WENT TO JULIE AND HUGGED HER. SHE JUST SEEMED LIKE A SCARED LITTLE GIRL. SHE HELD ONTO ME AND CRIED. SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS SCARED. I TOLD HER NOT TO WORRY. THAT IF SHE TELLS THE TRUTH SHE WILL HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. I TOLD HER GOOD OR BAD SHE MUST TELL THE TRUTH. SHE LLOKED AT ME AND SOBBED. GAVE ME ONE LAST HUG. WE THEN WALKED INTO THE COURTROOM.

DEFENSE

MISS KRUSKA ASKED JULIE A FEW QUESTIONS. NOTHING THAT IMPEACHED HER TESTIMONY. THEN SHE WENT TO HER BOARD. SHE ASKED JULIE TO MARK DIFFERENT POSITIONS AT DIFFERENT TIMES ON THE BOARD. THEY DIDN'T REALLY DO A DAMAGING CROSS EXAMINATION.

RUTLAND HERALD

Julie Kronberg of Springfield was the second witness. She had dated Tamburello off and on for a year and a half.

Kronberg recalled how she, Tamburello and a friend of hers were visiting Tristan Blanchard of Springfield. A former boyfriend of Kronberg’s, Ben Malloy, arrived and Tamburello was upset about their past relationship. Tensions arose between Tamburello, Blanchard and Malloy and they arranged at MacKenzie field, where the fatal events happened.