James Winquist Trial: Defense Attorney plans to appeal client’s 2nd degree murder conviction

This week, a 12 member jury found James Winquist guilty on two counts of  2nd degree murder but the case could be back in court soon enough.

Thursday morning, Attorney Joseph Krowski Jr. will hand over a notice of appeal to Plymouth County Superior Court on behalf of his client James Winquist.

“I haven’t spoken to him about it, yet. We’ll have that conversation at an appropriate time but this is based upon my legal judgment that he has a strong, strong basis for appeal,” says Krowski

Krowski explains the appeal will land in Supreme Judicial Court and Winquist will likely be represented by an appellate attorney in future court proceedings.

Winquist was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences with eligibility of parole for the murder of two homeless men in Hingham’s Bare Cove Park back in 2005.

The trial lasted 12 days and during that time letters and phone calls between Winquist and a former co-defendant in the case, Eric Snow, were presented as evidence by the prosecution.

But Krowski says because Snow committed suicide while awaiting trial, those items shouldn’t have been used against Winquist,   “Statements were made by Mr. Snow that cast suspicion and inculpated Mr. Winquist. Mr.Snow was unavailable for cross-examiniation; to me that’s a clear violation of my client’s rights to confront his accusers.”

Krowski believes there’s a very good likelihood of success on an appeal for Winquist.