Lauren Dunne Astley's Parents to Testify on Beacon Hill
Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne, parents of slain Wayland teen Lauren Astley, will testify in hearing on three health/sex education bills
Lauren Astley
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Parents Tell of Graciousness, Activism in Face of Daughter's Murder
Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne were guests Monday on "Katie," a talk show hosted by Katie Couric. They discussed their ability to move forward in the wake of their daughter, Lauren Astley's, murder at the hands of Nathaniel Fujita.
"Extraordinary grace." Such were the words Katie Couric used to introduce two of the guests on Monday's episode of "Katie." Those two guests were Malcolm Astley of Wayland and Mary Dunne of Weston, parents of Lauren Astley, the Wayland teenager killed in July 2011 by her ex-boyfriend and Wayland High School classmate Nathaniel Fujita. "If you were her parents and she was your only child, how could you possible go on?" Couric asked in her introduction. "But they have managed to and with extraordinary grace." Couric then went on to briefly describe the circumstances of Astley's murder, Fujita's arrest and then his conviction of first-degree murder just weeks ago in Courtroom 530 at Middlesex Superior Court. Couric focused in on the day of …
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Friday, March 8, 2013
Family, Friends, Others Focus on Astley's 'Light' in the Wake of Trial Verdict
Hours after Nathaniel Fujita was convicted of murdering 18-year-old Lauren Astley, her friends, family and others were talking about her "sparkle."
Prosecutor Lisa McGovern turned to offer Mary Dunne and Malcolm Astley a look of success colored deeply with sadness as a jury declared Nathaniel Fujita guilty of murdering their 18-year-old daughter, Lauren Astley. Across the courtroom Fujita stood with his head bowed, but otherwise was silent. His mother behind him began to cry. As McGovern pulled Dunne and Malcolm Astley into a tight hug, the Fujita family let the tears flow freely and did their best to comfort one another knowing the crime Nathaniel Fujita had been found guilty of carries an automatic sentence of life without the possibility of parole. But then another person stepped up to Tomo and Beth Fujita, the defendant's parents, to offer some comfort. Malcolm Astley crossed the …
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Alexis Avila
2:18 pm on Friday, March 8, 2013
"Malcolm Astley is a morally extraordinary and profoundly decent man," commented David Stallard on Wayland Patch. Poignant quote and couldn't agree more. more ›
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Lauren Astley's Parents Paint a Picture of Their Loss with Victim Impact Statements
Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne both gave victim's impact statements prior to the sentencing of Nathaniel Fujita, the man convicted of murdering their only daughter.
Other voices spoke boldly Thursday on behalf of a voice silenced after only 18 short years. Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne, parents of Lauren Astley, spoke up on behalf of their murdered daughter, poignantly reminding Judge Peter Lauriat what they lost when Nathaniel Fujita took her life. With his victim impact statement, Malcolm Astley told Lauriat "We need to acknowledge all of the fear, pain and distrust that resulted as collateral effects of the taking of [Lauren Astley's] life." "The causing of such pain and the taking of life has to be marked by significant consequences for the agent of the pain or society falls apart and so does the agent, I believe, in a vacuum." As Astley and Dunne spoke, Fujita sat quietly with his head bowed as …
VIDEO: Lauren Astley's Parents Give Statement Focused on Prevention of Future Violence
Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne focused on ending future violence against women in their statement after the sentencing of the man convicted in their daughter, Lauren Astley's, murder.
Malcolm Astley and Mary Dunne were composed and looking forward as they addressed reporters Thursday afternoon at the Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. Just hours after learning that Nathaniel Fujita had been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of their daughter, Lauren Astley, Malcolm Astley and Dunne focused on future actions rather than the past. Saying that Lauren Astley's family experienced "immense grief and outrage at the loss of Lauren's sparkle," Malcolm Astley, speaking for he and Dunne, went on to say that they are "appalled at the similar murders of so many women in supposedly loving relationships." The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund is dedicated to ending that violence in dating and domestic relationships, …
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Sullivan 'Disappointed,' But Looking Ahead to Appeal
Defense Attorney William Sullivan said he knew a mental illness defense for Nathaniel Fujita would be difficult for jurors to grasp.
Defense attorney William Sullivan said he is "disappointed with the verdict," announced Thursday morning. The jury decided his client, Nathaniel Fujita, is guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Lauren Astley of Wayland. "We knew that this was a possibility," Sullivan said, noting a defense built on mental illness is complex. "It was a difficult concept for jurors to understand, especially if you haven't dealt with mental illness in your family." Moments after Judge Peter Lauriat sentenced Fujita to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Sullivan talked with reporters downstairs at the Middlesex Superior Courthouse. "I know how badly he feels," Sullivan said, responding to whether Fujita will offer an apology …
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Alan Reiss
5:02 pm on Saturday, March 16, 2013
Jane, I have a different take on this. With a confession to a defense psychiatrist plus 240 pieces of evidence including texts, emails and other conversations - the prosecutor and the DA was not offering anything less. They were going for it - murder one - premeditated - cruel - atrocity. There was nothing to bargain with. So Nate's parents went for the only plausible try - guilty but not legally… more ›
Wayland, Beyond Reacts to Nathaniel Fujita Guilty Verdict
Nathaniel Fujita has been convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Lauren Astley.
It was a tearful morning for the families of both Lauren Astley and Nathaniel Fujita, 20, as a Middlesex Superior Court judge read less than an hour ago that Fujita is guilty of first-degree murder in Astley's death. Comments have begun to appear on Wayland Patch as people react to the verdict. Michael Barrett writes: "The case was very clear the evidence was OVERWHELMING," and "Nate Fujita inflected an enormous amount of hurt on many people and the entire community. There will never be a full recovery but today is the start of rebuilding as best we can." User XYZ says he felt a second-degree murder verdict was more appropriate. "Sent to prison for the rest of your entire life for the murder of one person is still madness to me, Sweden …
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Wayland Resident
9:44 am on Friday, March 8, 2013
Alan Reiss, I believe the life sentence without the possibility of parole is mandatory in MA when there is a first degree murder conviction. McGovern actually asked for one of the other convictions (I believe for A & B with deadly weapon) NOT to run concurrently. If her request was granted the sentence would have been life without parole plus 10 years. McGovern's reasoning was that the separate … more ›
Guilty: Jury Convicts Fujita of First-Degree Murder
A jury of 12 men and women deliberated for a little more than seven hours before reaching a guilty verdict.
Nathaniel Fujita stood stoically with his head hung down as the jury foreman read the verdict Thursday morning. "Guilty" of first-degree murder. Behind the defendant, his mother, Beth Fujita, began to weep. But tears flowed from the left side of the courtroom as well, as the parents of Lauren Astley, the 18-year-old woman Fujita murdered in July 2011, learned that he would be held accountable for taking their daughter's life. As the verdict was read, Prosecutor Lisa McGovern turned to Astley's parents and met their eyes. In the state of Massachusetts, Fujita now faces an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The foreman then read the verdicts for the other three charges Fujita faced: Judge Peter Lauriat …
David Stallard
11:01 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2013
Murders in Wayland are in indeed so rare that it doesn't really have a murder "rate", properly speaking. Setting aside the Sarah Pryor case, which presumably was an abduction by an out-of-town stranger, I know of only 3 murders in Wayland in the past 50 years. There was the Thompson-Dupuis juvenile murder case in 1966/7. There was a killing of an elderly woman in the Dudley Pond cottage back in … more ›
Wayland Murder Trial Live Blog: Fujita Sentenced to Life Without Possibility of Parole
Wayland man Nathaniel Fujita has been convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Lauren Astley, also of Wayland, in 2011.
Editor's Note: Wayland Patch will post regular updates from the courtroom at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. The most recent updates will be at the top of the story with a time stamp. For more about this case and trial, see "Wayland Murder: Nathaniel Fujita Trial." 12:29 p.m. -- Judge Peter Lauriat said he has received three victims' statements: Malcolm Astley, Mary Dunne and Roy Astley. Malcolm Astley is now speaking to the court. "I want to thank the court ... for diligence toward justice in this situation," Astley began. "We need to acknowledge the death, the absence and the taking of life of Lauren Astley," her father said. "We need to acknowledge all the pain, fear and distrust that resulted from the loss of her life ... it has to…
David Stallard
11:07 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Thanks, all. I started forming these impressions from the beginning, in July 2011, when I saw photos of the two together, and compared them. She was smiling, appearing very happy and comfortable, and looking directly into the camera. Not him. He never seemed to be looking straight into the camera, and looked somewhat distant and not completely comfortable with the situation or himself. I don't … more ›
Jury Enters Another Day of Deliberations in Fujita Murder Trial
Jurors have spent about six hours so far deliberating a verdict iin the trial of a Wayland man accused of killing 18-year-old Lauren Astley.
Jurors this morning will return to the task of deliberating a verdict in the trial of Nathaniel Fujita, the now 20-year-old Wayland man accused of murdering 18-year-old Lauren Astley in July 2011. The jury has the option of finding Fujita guilty of first- or second-degree murder, not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, or not guilty of the crimes at all, according to instructions issued by Judge Peter Lauriat. The decision was put in the hands of jurors at about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. That day, the panel of eight men and four women elected a foreperson, but disbanded for the day just 15 minutes later. Wednesday, the jurors retired to deliberate at about 9:30 a.m. and informed Lauriat at 3:30 p.m. that they were ready…
Malcolm Astley
1:37 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013
Good thoughts! And under anger is often pain which if we can name and affirm, we can often then go on to enable ourselves or a suffering companion to develop perspective, to look at the need underneath the pain, and to develop strategies to cope with the pain and better have the need met without going to violent action based on anger. more ›