Kathy Pinna
Norfolk murder conviction upheld
The state's highest court has upheld the conviction of a man found guilty of murdering a Foxboro man and assaulting six others when he and his friends crashed a Halloween party in 1996.
The Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of John Tague, who was convicted of killing Jayson Linsky, 22, on Oct. 26, 1996 on Campbell Street.
Tague, a self-professed skinhead, is serving a life sentence in prison without the chance of parole.
He was also convicted of armed assault with intent to murder Brian McLaughlin, the party host, and multiple counts of assault and battery on other party guests.
During Tague's trial in Dedham Superior Court, prosecutors presented evidence that Tague and a dozen friends went to the party armed with baseball bats, knives, sticks and wrenches after hearing that a party guest dressed in a red devil costume spit in the face of one of their friends.
The girl who was spit at was among a group who drew “ X” 's on their foreheads to mimic the Charles Manson family. The group was kicked out of the party because of their behavior, according to testimony.
Tague, who was not among the group of seven kicked out of the party, returned with his friends. They formed a semicircle around the unsuspecting guests in the woods of McLaughlin's secluded home and ambushed the party, according to testimony.
Four guests were stabbed and several others beaten. Linsky, dressed in a red devil costume, died after suffering nine stab wounds.
McLaughlin was stabbed several times, suffering puncture wounds to both lungs and a nicked kidney.
Tague testified in his own defense at his trial and denied stabbing Linsky.
In his appeal, Tague argued, among other things, that the trial judge wrongly excluded some evidence and should have instructed the jury on a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.
The high court also rejected the claim of co-defendant Larry Sullivan who told a Boston Globe reporter from his prison cell after the trial that he, not Tague, killed Linsky.
- The Sun-Chronicle July 11th, 2001 by David Linton
The Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of John Tague, who was convicted of killing Jayson Linsky, 22, on Oct. 26, 1996 on Campbell Street.
Tague, a self-professed skinhead, is serving a life sentence in prison without the chance of parole.
He was also convicted of armed assault with intent to murder Brian McLaughlin, the party host, and multiple counts of assault and battery on other party guests.
During Tague's trial in Dedham Superior Court, prosecutors presented evidence that Tague and a dozen friends went to the party armed with baseball bats, knives, sticks and wrenches after hearing that a party guest dressed in a red devil costume spit in the face of one of their friends.
The girl who was spit at was among a group who drew “ X” 's on their foreheads to mimic the Charles Manson family. The group was kicked out of the party because of their behavior, according to testimony.
Tague, who was not among the group of seven kicked out of the party, returned with his friends. They formed a semicircle around the unsuspecting guests in the woods of McLaughlin's secluded home and ambushed the party, according to testimony.
Four guests were stabbed and several others beaten. Linsky, dressed in a red devil costume, died after suffering nine stab wounds.
McLaughlin was stabbed several times, suffering puncture wounds to both lungs and a nicked kidney.
Tague testified in his own defense at his trial and denied stabbing Linsky.
In his appeal, Tague argued, among other things, that the trial judge wrongly excluded some evidence and should have instructed the jury on a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.
The high court also rejected the claim of co-defendant Larry Sullivan who told a Boston Globe reporter from his prison cell after the trial that he, not Tague, killed Linsky.
- The Sun-Chronicle July 11th, 2001 by David Linton
Daniel Pinna 
