September 17, 2024 • 26 mins
In 2023, the U.S. suicide rate reached the highest level ever recorded when 50,000 Americans lost their lives to suicide. Why is the suicide rate so high? Data suggests that trauma, COVID-19's lasting impact, a broken healthcare system, and rising loneliness play a key part. September is National Suicide Prevention Month and we were joined by Nazar Yasin founder of the holistic mental health app Sol, about the importance of mental health and how to tackle this crisis.
National Crisis Hotline - 988! (Nine - Eight - Eight.)
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nice eyes.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm going Boston's news radio, so.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
I'm not the expert on suicide. I got to be
honest with you. I have known people who committed suicide,
oftentimes that people who you don't suspect of committing suicide.
I don't want to identify the person, but I was
stunned that young a teenager who I had coached in
(00:33):
little league, who's the nicest kid, most well adjusted kid.
I'm not going to identify him by name, reportedly committed suicide.
He was about eighteen, and I remember, you know, watching
the kid, always smiling, and whatever happened, you have no idea.
I mean they some some leave a note, some don't.
(00:56):
So I will be willing to continue to have a conversation. Here.
A couple of callers are hanging on. I will get
to them if you want. This is one of those
not an easy subject, okay, but I chose to have
my guest on last hour, and I'm just looking for
(01:16):
people who may want to share stories because I think
it's important for all of us to realize that there
are people out there within our circle of friends who
are crying out for help and even just a kind
word or a phone call might get them through that
moment of crisis. And again, I'm not a mental health professional,
(01:39):
nor do I want to play one on the radio.
But I do think that if we look around within
our own community, we'll recognize that. So in the meantime,
I have other topics I can go to. I'd like
to give you a chance to talk about this. Let
me start off with Frank in South Boston. Frank, welcome,
thanks for calling in. You are next on Nightside, our
(01:59):
first this hour at night Side.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Frank, Hi, Dan, thank you for taking my call. Let
me just preface this a little bit. I'm sixty six
years old and I spent twenty one years in prison
and was released in two thousand and one after the
Supreme Judicial Court deemed I've been wrong for the convicted.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
About I know about some of those cases.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
So I know you do because I know the people
that you helped get out. I knew all of them.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I'm glad that. So you spent twenty one years in
a state or a federal facility state.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I was all in Massachusetts. I hit them all.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Now in Massachusetts. Has Massachusetts will they be forced to
compensate you? I know the compensation in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I did. I got limited yep, yep, I got some money.
I got some money. I wasn't as much as like
I had anticipated, but.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Not much. Not kneeling you said, twenty one years.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah, yeah, I went in at twenty one and when
at twenty one, came out at forty two.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
So like is her case is like this. So first
of all, I want to say congratulations on surviving and
having the backbone of the courage to to get through it.
I hope you've had a good post prison life, and
I want to hear what you have to say. But
(03:31):
I just recommend you for having to survived that.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Okay, thank you, you know, like, and it was no
small feat. But you know, right after COVID, right after
right after COVID hit on Saint Patti's Day in twenty twenty,
I was diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer and I
(03:55):
was treated at Boston Medical. I'm cancer free right now,
thank goodness. But it was after forty four radiation treatments
and like everything that can go wrong with radiation went
wrong with me. And this had nothing to do, you know,
forty four radiation treatments. I was at BMC like Monday
through Friday every day at two fifty pm, taking my
(04:18):
clothes off, getting it in a room, getting in a machine,
you know, having my you know, getting my treatment, and leave.
It only took ten minutes. Ten minutes a day, you know,
like getting dressed and undressed are longer than the treatment.
So this had nothing to do with holiday depression.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I'd lost my mother in twenty nineteen, and it was
like sitting on my mind. But honestly, I had nothing
to do with holiday depression. But it was Christmas Eve
twenty twenty two, and I was sitting in my I
just like I was done. I was done. I was
in so much pain. Everything that could have gone wrong
with my treatment did go wrong. I had a Catholic
(04:56):
for one hundred and eleven days, which was miserable, off
on for one hundred and eleven days. And on Christmas
Eve twenty twenty two, I went down to dry Dock
and uh, I was just like I was done. I
was done. I was ready to drive my truck off
the end of dry Dock Ave here in South Boston.
(05:19):
And again, I'm sixty six years old, and I'd never
in my twenty one years in prison, I'd never had
any suicidal thoughts until that night. I was just like
I just like kind of assessed everything in the thing,
the checklist that the twisted checklists that we go through.
You know, if we're thinking that kind of stuff, I'm
(05:41):
so bizarre. So what things I did do?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
From what saved you? What what prevented you.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
From I'm getting to that problem.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
No, rush, I want to hear the story. Go ahead.
I didn't mean to interrupt.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
No, no, no, no, no no. I and I just
don't like to interrupt you because I I you know,
I smoke weed, and like weed helped me get through
the cancer, all the crap that I was going through.
It kept me off in narcotics. Marijuana, cannabis kept me
off in narcotics. But anyway, I smoked a joint at
(06:18):
the end of dry dock, and I'm like, I was
just like building up the courage. I'm just going to
drive this truck miles to four thousand. It's like it's
basically a Ford Ranger. It's a fancy Ford Ranger, and
I was going to drive it off the end of
the dock. And I got done smoking a giant as
much as I was going to smoke my grandson called me.
He says, Pops, can you give me a ride home?
(06:40):
That was it. That was the epiphany.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
And I was just like, you know, pose purpose.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
You know, my kid, he's like we you know, he
was born on my birthday in nineteen eighty four, Like
he just celebrated his thirtieth birthday. We both He celebrated
his thirtieth. I celebrated my sixty six a big party.
It was fun and and I'm just like, you know,
I again, in my entire twenty one years in prison,
(07:08):
I never ever ever felt suicidal, even though I was
doing a life bid and I knew I was never
getting out unless something happened. I knew I was never
getting out. And the s JC ruled in my favorite
tamed I've been wrongfully convicted. I got out and I
just never looked back, you know, And I raised like
(07:30):
three years after I got out, I got a custody
of my six year old and my eight year old grandson,
got one through Boston Latin Academy, got the other through
high school. And you know, they're both doing well, and
you know, but that that night, you know, it just
I don't know where I went. I don't know where
(07:51):
I went.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It's kind of interesting, very interesting, Frank, that it just
so happened that if you had decided you didn't want
to smoke joint, and you just decided to weigh it
and drive off the end of the pier, your grandson
would have called, and I guess you would have heard
it busy sag no or just wast wrong. He never
(08:12):
would have heard it. So it's interesting. You wonder if
there's someone up upstairs there looking up over, you know,
looking out for it. And I'm serious when I ask
you that I'm not being I'm not being faticious.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Somebody had their foot on the brake, you know, somebody
had their foot on the controls, you know, like they
had the wheel, and I just wasn't going on.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Had your mom just died before.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
That or No, she died in twenty nineteen, you know,
but she died at ninety four years old, you know,
like she got around my six.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
So she died in twenty nineteen. When were you thinking
about doing this?
Speaker 1 (08:48):
What year twenty twenty two, twenty two?
Speaker 3 (08:52):
You know, I would like to think that your mom
was your guardian angel that night.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
You know, my mom, like she worked for the Department
of My story is crazy. My you know, my mom
and my father both worked for the Department of Correction,
and they'd work for the Department of Correction. My father
was working at Walpole when I was my father was.
I didn't know who my father was, and my father
was working booking at Walpole. The day that I came in,
(09:20):
my mother called my father and said, you know, Frank
Peter was just convicted and he's on his way to Walpole.
And I went to Walpole. I had no idea who
this guy was, but whatever, you know, like yeah, yeah,
I was like, you.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Know, irony, something that is just an amazing element in
our lives.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And wow, Frank, I'm the DNA DNA like DNA. I'm like, Mom,
like I did you know? I did twenty three and
me and it just shows that, like my father, the
guy that you said was my father is not my father.
This is my father. Like what's going on? She told me, like,
you know, like eight months before she died, she told me,
this is your father. And you've got a sister and
(10:11):
you've got a brother. I'm like, oh, my god, you know,
but yeah, I got a my brother. Thirty thirty one
year retired Marine helicopter pilot, Lieutenant colonel. My sister was
a nation nurse in the Army. She lives in Minnesota.
My brother lives in Tennessee. So like, but yeah, you know,
and all that I did, I did, I've met them both.
(10:32):
It's like, it's crazy. My my brother is a freaking monster.
He's like he's like six. I'm like five eight. My
brother is like six ' four. You know. My sister's
My sister's a tall gal too. You know, I'm she's
she's about my height, but a little bit maybe tall
or whatever. We both you know, we all shrunk. But
thank you for taking my call. Dan. I just like,
(10:55):
unless you, you know, you want to ask me something
that's well.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
No, I think the call stands on its own. It's
it's an amazing story. Has has Did they do any
stories about you? When you when.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
You so like, uh, what's your name? Kristen Party from
the Phoenix, she did a story on me. Uh, Jesus
a couple of Boston Phoenix. There was a Boston Phoenix.
Uh No, the Globe and the Heraldic Let me ask.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
You us what did you get convicted for? What? What?
What did you take?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
The second second, second, degree murder, right.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Okay, second agree murder. Uh that's a that's a heavy hit.
Where were you when the murder went down? Okay? So
you well you were you present or were you not
even there?
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Oh? I was there. I was there, but I walked
in after it happened, and I'm like, you know, I
was just like, okay, you know, I showed up, and
but my DNA was not all over the place and
that technology didn't come out until later.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Okay, okay, so so wrong wrong place, wrong time.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, my apartment, my own, my own apartment, Okay, drug deal, No,
But I was like, you know, I wasn't. I wasn't
a terribly nice guy. You know, I've I've got a record,
you know, I did. I did some stuff, but you
know I didn't do that.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
So the person, the person who killed, who killed the victim?
Did he ever go to trial?
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Uh? He did. There were two people there was a
guy and a woman. They both went. She ended up
doing eight years and framing him, and he did like
three years. He ended up in an offock pre release said.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Were you all tried? Was this some sort of a
joint venture? Were you you got?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
No? No, no, no, no, no, We were we weren't
co defendants were all tried separately.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
No, I understand that, That's what I'm saying. So so
probably your your trials are severed. So yeah, you took
the big fall for murder too. How did they hit you?
How did they connect you? How if you truly.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Had you know, I was married, I was. I honestly
believe there was an animus. I was married to a
cops daughter, a local, a very very very well respected
cops daughter. And at the time I never laid a
hand on her. I never laid a hand And I
got two kids too. I got two kids that you know,
(13:20):
that were born back then. But you know, I just
stated they hated me. The cops hated me. You know,
I stole a Kyle when I was fifteen.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I did so basically, you got framed, you, you was.
Everybody was charged and you took the big fall.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah? When the when? The when? When
the when? The female like she took the she took
the hit that should have been taken, you know, and
like she should have had the main charge.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Was she the shooter?
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I'm sorry?
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Was she the shooter?
Speaker 1 (13:54):
No shooter? No shooter? Was a beating?
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
It was a beating. Yeah, it was a beating. You
a bludgeoned yep.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Okay, well.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
You've seen you know, you're a lawyer, you know. And
I came out when I so like when I came out,
I worked and I worked at Mass Correctional Legal Services,
I did, you know, prison work for six years. I
spoke all They sent me all over the country, The
Innocence Project sent me all over the country.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I know.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Barry, Yeah, Barry, you know, I got Barriy on speed dial,
you know, and he like sent me all over the
country speaking to lawyers, conferences and lobbies.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Selfy do you know my friend fred Weichel.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Of course I do. Of course I do. Freddie. Yeah,
you know, like you know, and he's getting royally screwed.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
You know, well eventually, hopefully hopefully he will get But know,
I mean I did a little bit of work for Freddy.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Uh and oh I know, yeah, I know you you
promoted him like Freddie, like Freddy. We've we've spoken about you,
you know.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
The the big thing that I was involved in was
the FBIK Silvati p ammonium.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yep, Frank, yeah, let me let me just let me
just the quick thing about about Louis Greco. Oh my god,
I love Louie Greco. I got out, I got out
of I was released into Shirley Minimum in nineteen ninety
and I didn't take I'd evigate to a minimum because
Willie Horton screwed that up, Bob Lilli Horton and Bobby Stewart.
(15:28):
Bobby Stewart messed it up for life, as for second
of your life, as he messed it up for everybody
when he escaped. But Louis Greco and I, like, I
first got the Shirley Minimum and I was like living
in Cottage eight. Louis lived in Cottage ten. And I say,
am like, somebody said, that's Louis Greco, and like I've
heard about this because I worked in the infirmary in
(15:51):
Norfolk in nineteen nineteen eighty one. I took care of
Henry Timelio. So I knew, I knew all of those guys,
you know, but I never met Louis. And then so
I saw I saw Louis and like, hey kid, hey kid,
will you go to the canteen and get me a
pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate chip? Thank you? So
(16:12):
Louie was Louis was great and.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
He died before he get out.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Man, you know like, oh, I know, no, he has
a state want some money. He got about he got
about eighteen and I think Tom Mellie, we've got fifteen
and Lamoney uh and Svati Bolt survived, came out. Joe
is still alive today. Hey, I hate to do this
to you, Frank. All right, all right, thank you call
do me your favorite. Rob will leave you my give
you my my my personal number, give me a call sometime.
(16:39):
I'd love to talk to you off air. But it's you.
A great caller, a great caller.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Okay, don't hang up. Rob will give you my direct line.
Rob will take a quick break. We got to get
to the newscast. Let's take a quick break. Okay.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World,
Nice Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Well, that call went pretty long with but I think
it was well worth it. Let me go to Daryl
up in New Brunswick, Canada. Darryl's a that's a tough
call to follow. How are you, Darryl?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Hey, Dan, I can listen to Frank. You can keep
me on hold and I'll wait till the next call.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Right, no, no, no, you go right ahead, You're you're on,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
My situation was with my twin brother, just to put
the forefront out there, he shot himself out on the
farm and it was a Saturday morning and I had
actually driven out to the farm out in Alberta, just
outside Abington, and I would just dropping by to see
(17:39):
how he was because he just got to town and
he was sleeping on the couch. So I said, wow,
I'll tee up with him later, right, And back in
those days, we had the old cassette tapes for the
answering machines. So I swung by my apartment because I
had to go work on a Saturday morning to make
up some hours, and I put the casette just as
(18:00):
I was tolling in to work and said I always
love you, dude, and the gab was gone. So what
I'm saying is to let people know that, you know,
the indicators might not be there. Yeah, but this topic is,
(18:22):
this topic is so important because his letter to me
was he respected me so much, super being in the military,
all that stuff, right, So what I'm getting at is,
if people want to actually make a difference, you know,
the indicators might not be there, but just pay attention
(18:45):
because back then it wasn't the we're talking back in
eighty six, right, so we didn't have all the cracket
and stuff and all the addictions.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Right.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
The big thing back then was just a place to stay.
And if I would have known that, he could have
stayed at my apartment. Right, it was just a bachelor.
We could have thrown a bedroom, bed in the closet
and the walk in closet done. But the kicker was
the kicker was going back to Frank. I believe his
(19:18):
grandson or his son was born on his birthday. My
son was born there. I buried my brother, and I.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Had no clue.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I had no clue that my son was even on
the way. So what you can't do is you can't
blame other people for things that might have happened. And
like I said, it's you carry great topics and if
this helps other people, even in the military, because you
reach out to a lot of military people. I've done
(19:53):
suicide wise quite a bit in the military, and they
didn't even know I was doing suicide wise as I
talked to my chief and say, hey, you know you're
doing daily inspections if you're recalling the military in the
morning and you got guys going saying, hey, your humor
sucks this early in the morning. Okay, but they forget
(20:15):
all about what they were thinking.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah. So, but.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
No, you keep you keep great topics going.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
And I'm so sorry about your brother. How old when
he when he passed.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Three months from twenty wow?
Speaker 3 (20:36):
So but still a teenager? Wow wow?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
And but to kick their being there was no indicators?
Yeah right. And what I'm saying is for all those
people out there, you got family. But as long as
there's no addictions, if the guy that needs or yall
just needs places day, just getting them back on their feet,
(21:01):
because economic times are harder today, right, And that's why
people listen to your programs to hopefully assist other people,
knowing that there's other things out there. As my brother
would probably not have done what he did if he
would have known he was going to be an uncle.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
So again it goes back to you can't blame anybody
for anything, right.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
It's.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Your call, and Frank's call leave me speechless. So I
just want to say thanks for calling and sharing this.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
No, but that's why at the end of the hour,
I said I'll give it a call and see if
adult still talking about it. Rob asked you, you said yes,
and again goes back to Frank.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Kudos as to both.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Thanks you, Secular, you.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Too, You too, my friend. Thanks much. I'm going to
get one more in here before the break, Rob. I'm
going to go a little longer here. Clara in Florida. Clara,
don't want you have to wait through the news.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Welcome back, Okay, Thank you.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Dan. I have hit rock bottom where I've experienced hell,
and I've I came very close to suicide about a
year ago. I was going to cut myself with a
box cutter. I already had a suicide note written in
(22:36):
my mind, and my whole world came crashing down. It's
it's a horrible situation to be in and a family
member is a doctor and he just told me to
snap out of it and I couldn't. And the only
way that I was able to climb out of that
(22:57):
hell was too down And think about my cats. What
would happen to my cats if I were to kill myself?
And it's a horrible thing. I suffer from PTSD and
major depression and it's very difficult to talk about I've
(23:21):
called the nine e eight number several times in the
middle of the night and they've been helpful.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
That is the national suicide number, if I'm not mistaken correct, Yes,
that from anywhere. So anybody who's listening tonight, if you
need someone to talk to it, it's simply just dial night.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Yes, they're very helpful and they're there, and I do
speak to it therapist. I have phone appointments every two
weeks and a psychiatrist. But let me tell you, Dan
that that incident was hard. That I went through my
hopeful world just came classing down.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Yeah. No, I'm a little familiar with the conversations that
we've had off air, Clara, so I know that you've
gone through a rough what we would call a rough spot.
It's more than a rough spot, but I'll just leave
it at that as a rough spot. But hopefully you're
coming out the other end, and a show like tonight
(24:26):
shows you that there are other people who are You know,
people feel so alone with suicide and they think they're
the only one who's dealing with this overwhelming set of circumstances.
But there's more help out dealing. People realize you found
nine eight eight I'll bet you there's some people tonight
who are going to call nine eight eight because you
(24:48):
called my program. So yes, help, You've helped other people tonight,
Clara by one not not succumbing to the so called
easy way out. And I know it's not an easy
way out, but you know you you have stood strong
and you have offered a suggestion tonight there may be
(25:11):
someone somewhere in America who's going to dial nine eighty
eight because Clara called night Side tonight.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
I thank you for that, and I highly recommend it.
And they they are very sympathetic. They listen to you,
they'll stay on the phone with you as long as
you need to. So it's it's it's been very it's
a very useful tool, and it's free.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Okay, all right, Well that's that is a great recommendation.
And Clara, again, I took you before the newscast here
and I'm glad I did.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Thank you well, Thank you, Clara, and you hang in there. Okay,
It's okay.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
Dan.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
You know they say sometimes it's darkest before the dawn,
but I think you've got through the worst, so just
keep on being strong on Okay.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Okay, thank you, damn, thank you, Clara.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Good night.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
I'd love you.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
You know that.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Okay, thanks, good night, Okay, we got a newscast. If
you want to talk about suicide, I don't know how
you can beat those three calls Frank, Daryl and Clara.
That's not what you're what I'm asking you to do.
If you want to talk and add anything here, I'm
open to it. I got wide open lines six, one, seven, two, five, four,
(26:28):
ten thirty, six one seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty.
If you don't think there aren't people out there who
are dealing with issues, you just heard three of them
who nonetheless are still with us. Thank god. I thank
them for calling. And if you'd like to join the conversation, great,
If not, I'm going to change topics. That's that's the choice.
(26:49):
Here comes the news. You have the numbers back on
Night Side.
It's nice eyes.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm going Boston's news radio, so.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
I'm not the expert on suicide. I got to be
honest with you. I have known people who committed suicide,
oftentimes that people who you don't suspect of committing suicide.
I don't want to identify the person, but I was
stunned that young a teenager who I had coached in
(00:33):
little league, who's the nicest kid, most well adjusted kid.
I'm not going to identify him by name, reportedly committed suicide.
He was about eighteen, and I remember, you know, watching
the kid, always smiling, and whatever happened, you have no idea.
I mean they some some leave a note, some don't.
(00:56):
So I will be willing to continue to have a conversation. Here.
A couple of callers are hanging on. I will get
to them if you want. This is one of those
not an easy subject, okay, but I chose to have
my guest on last hour, and I'm just looking for
(01:16):
people who may want to share stories because I think
it's important for all of us to realize that there
are people out there within our circle of friends who
are crying out for help and even just a kind
word or a phone call might get them through that
moment of crisis. And again, I'm not a mental health professional,
(01:39):
nor do I want to play one on the radio.
But I do think that if we look around within
our own community, we'll recognize that. So in the meantime,
I have other topics I can go to. I'd like
to give you a chance to talk about this. Let
me start off with Frank in South Boston. Frank, welcome,
thanks for calling in. You are next on Nightside, our
(01:59):
first this hour at night Side.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Frank, Hi, Dan, thank you for taking my call. Let
me just preface this a little bit. I'm sixty six
years old and I spent twenty one years in prison
and was released in two thousand and one after the
Supreme Judicial Court deemed I've been wrong for the convicted.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
About I know about some of those cases.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
So I know you do because I know the people
that you helped get out. I knew all of them.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I'm glad that. So you spent twenty one years in
a state or a federal facility state.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I was all in Massachusetts. I hit them all.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Now in Massachusetts. Has Massachusetts will they be forced to
compensate you? I know the compensation in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I did. I got limited yep, yep, I got some money.
I got some money. I wasn't as much as like
I had anticipated, but.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Not much. Not kneeling you said, twenty one years.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah, yeah, I went in at twenty one and when
at twenty one, came out at forty two.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
So like is her case is like this. So first
of all, I want to say congratulations on surviving and
having the backbone of the courage to to get through it.
I hope you've had a good post prison life, and
I want to hear what you have to say. But
(03:31):
I just recommend you for having to survived that.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Okay, thank you, you know, like, and it was no
small feat. But you know, right after COVID, right after
right after COVID hit on Saint Patti's Day in twenty twenty,
I was diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer and I
(03:55):
was treated at Boston Medical. I'm cancer free right now,
thank goodness. But it was after forty four radiation treatments
and like everything that can go wrong with radiation went
wrong with me. And this had nothing to do, you know,
forty four radiation treatments. I was at BMC like Monday
through Friday every day at two fifty pm, taking my
(04:18):
clothes off, getting it in a room, getting in a machine,
you know, having my you know, getting my treatment, and leave.
It only took ten minutes. Ten minutes a day, you know,
like getting dressed and undressed are longer than the treatment.
So this had nothing to do with holiday depression.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I'd lost my mother in twenty nineteen, and it was
like sitting on my mind. But honestly, I had nothing
to do with holiday depression. But it was Christmas Eve
twenty twenty two, and I was sitting in my I
just like I was done. I was done. I was
in so much pain. Everything that could have gone wrong
with my treatment did go wrong. I had a Catholic
(04:56):
for one hundred and eleven days, which was miserable, off
on for one hundred and eleven days. And on Christmas
Eve twenty twenty two, I went down to dry Dock
and uh, I was just like I was done. I
was done. I was ready to drive my truck off
the end of dry Dock Ave here in South Boston.
(05:19):
And again, I'm sixty six years old, and I'd never
in my twenty one years in prison, I'd never had
any suicidal thoughts until that night. I was just like
I just like kind of assessed everything in the thing,
the checklist that the twisted checklists that we go through.
You know, if we're thinking that kind of stuff, I'm
(05:41):
so bizarre. So what things I did do?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
From what saved you? What what prevented you.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
From I'm getting to that problem.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
No, rush, I want to hear the story. Go ahead.
I didn't mean to interrupt.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
No, no, no, no, no no. I and I just
don't like to interrupt you because I I you know,
I smoke weed, and like weed helped me get through
the cancer, all the crap that I was going through.
It kept me off in narcotics. Marijuana, cannabis kept me
off in narcotics. But anyway, I smoked a joint at
(06:18):
the end of dry dock, and I'm like, I was
just like building up the courage. I'm just going to
drive this truck miles to four thousand. It's like it's
basically a Ford Ranger. It's a fancy Ford Ranger, and
I was going to drive it off the end of
the dock. And I got done smoking a giant as
much as I was going to smoke my grandson called me.
He says, Pops, can you give me a ride home?
(06:40):
That was it. That was the epiphany.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
And I was just like, you know, pose purpose.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
You know, my kid, he's like we you know, he
was born on my birthday in nineteen eighty four, Like
he just celebrated his thirtieth birthday. We both He celebrated
his thirtieth. I celebrated my sixty six a big party.
It was fun and and I'm just like, you know,
I again, in my entire twenty one years in prison,
(07:08):
I never ever ever felt suicidal, even though I was
doing a life bid and I knew I was never
getting out unless something happened. I knew I was never
getting out. And the s JC ruled in my favorite
tamed I've been wrongfully convicted. I got out and I
just never looked back, you know, And I raised like
(07:30):
three years after I got out, I got a custody
of my six year old and my eight year old grandson,
got one through Boston Latin Academy, got the other through
high school. And you know, they're both doing well, and
you know, but that that night, you know, it just
I don't know where I went. I don't know where
(07:51):
I went.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It's kind of interesting, very interesting, Frank, that it just
so happened that if you had decided you didn't want
to smoke joint, and you just decided to weigh it
and drive off the end of the pier, your grandson
would have called, and I guess you would have heard
it busy sag no or just wast wrong. He never
(08:12):
would have heard it. So it's interesting. You wonder if
there's someone up upstairs there looking up over, you know,
looking out for it. And I'm serious when I ask
you that I'm not being I'm not being faticious.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Somebody had their foot on the brake, you know, somebody
had their foot on the controls, you know, like they
had the wheel, and I just wasn't going on.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Had your mom just died before.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
That or No, she died in twenty nineteen, you know,
but she died at ninety four years old, you know,
like she got around my six.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
So she died in twenty nineteen. When were you thinking
about doing this?
Speaker 1 (08:48):
What year twenty twenty two, twenty two?
Speaker 3 (08:52):
You know, I would like to think that your mom
was your guardian angel that night.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
You know, my mom, like she worked for the Department
of My story is crazy. My you know, my mom
and my father both worked for the Department of Correction,
and they'd work for the Department of Correction. My father
was working at Walpole when I was my father was.
I didn't know who my father was, and my father
was working booking at Walpole. The day that I came in,
(09:20):
my mother called my father and said, you know, Frank
Peter was just convicted and he's on his way to Walpole.
And I went to Walpole. I had no idea who
this guy was, but whatever, you know, like yeah, yeah,
I was like, you.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Know, irony, something that is just an amazing element in
our lives.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And wow, Frank, I'm the DNA DNA like DNA. I'm like, Mom,
like I did you know? I did twenty three and
me and it just shows that, like my father, the
guy that you said was my father is not my father.
This is my father. Like what's going on? She told me, like,
you know, like eight months before she died, she told me,
this is your father. And you've got a sister and
(10:11):
you've got a brother. I'm like, oh, my god, you know,
but yeah, I got a my brother. Thirty thirty one
year retired Marine helicopter pilot, Lieutenant colonel. My sister was
a nation nurse in the Army. She lives in Minnesota.
My brother lives in Tennessee. So like, but yeah, you know,
and all that I did, I did, I've met them both.
(10:32):
It's like, it's crazy. My my brother is a freaking monster.
He's like he's like six. I'm like five eight. My
brother is like six ' four. You know. My sister's
My sister's a tall gal too. You know, I'm she's
she's about my height, but a little bit maybe tall
or whatever. We both you know, we all shrunk. But
thank you for taking my call. Dan. I just like,
(10:55):
unless you, you know, you want to ask me something
that's well.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
No, I think the call stands on its own. It's
it's an amazing story. Has has Did they do any
stories about you? When you when.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
You so like, uh, what's your name? Kristen Party from
the Phoenix, she did a story on me. Uh, Jesus
a couple of Boston Phoenix. There was a Boston Phoenix.
Uh No, the Globe and the Heraldic Let me ask.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
You us what did you get convicted for? What? What?
What did you take?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
The second second, second, degree murder, right.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Okay, second agree murder. Uh that's a that's a heavy hit.
Where were you when the murder went down? Okay? So
you well you were you present or were you not
even there?
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Oh? I was there. I was there, but I walked
in after it happened, and I'm like, you know, I
was just like, okay, you know, I showed up, and
but my DNA was not all over the place and
that technology didn't come out until later.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Okay, okay, so so wrong wrong place, wrong time.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, my apartment, my own, my own apartment, Okay, drug deal, No,
But I was like, you know, I wasn't. I wasn't
a terribly nice guy. You know, I've I've got a record,
you know, I did. I did some stuff, but you
know I didn't do that.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
So the person, the person who killed, who killed the victim?
Did he ever go to trial?
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Uh? He did. There were two people there was a
guy and a woman. They both went. She ended up
doing eight years and framing him, and he did like
three years. He ended up in an offock pre release said.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Were you all tried? Was this some sort of a
joint venture? Were you you got?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
No? No, no, no, no, no, We were we weren't
co defendants were all tried separately.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
No, I understand that, That's what I'm saying. So so
probably your your trials are severed. So yeah, you took
the big fall for murder too. How did they hit you?
How did they connect you? How if you truly.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Had you know, I was married, I was. I honestly
believe there was an animus. I was married to a
cops daughter, a local, a very very very well respected
cops daughter. And at the time I never laid a
hand on her. I never laid a hand And I
got two kids too. I got two kids that you know,
(13:20):
that were born back then. But you know, I just
stated they hated me. The cops hated me. You know,
I stole a Kyle when I was fifteen.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
I did so basically, you got framed, you, you was.
Everybody was charged and you took the big fall.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah? When the when? The when? When
the when? The female like she took the she took
the hit that should have been taken, you know, and
like she should have had the main charge.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Was she the shooter?
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I'm sorry?
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Was she the shooter?
Speaker 1 (13:54):
No shooter? No shooter? Was a beating?
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
It was a beating. Yeah, it was a beating. You
a bludgeoned yep.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Okay, well.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
You've seen you know, you're a lawyer, you know. And
I came out when I so like when I came out,
I worked and I worked at Mass Correctional Legal Services,
I did, you know, prison work for six years. I
spoke all They sent me all over the country, The
Innocence Project sent me all over the country.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I know.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Barry, Yeah, Barry, you know, I got Barriy on speed dial,
you know, and he like sent me all over the
country speaking to lawyers, conferences and lobbies.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Selfy do you know my friend fred Weichel.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Of course I do. Of course I do. Freddie. Yeah,
you know, like you know, and he's getting royally screwed.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
You know, well eventually, hopefully hopefully he will get But know,
I mean I did a little bit of work for Freddy.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Uh and oh I know, yeah, I know you you
promoted him like Freddie, like Freddy. We've we've spoken about you,
you know.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
The the big thing that I was involved in was
the FBIK Silvati p ammonium.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yep, Frank, yeah, let me let me just let me
just the quick thing about about Louis Greco. Oh my god,
I love Louie Greco. I got out, I got out
of I was released into Shirley Minimum in nineteen ninety
and I didn't take I'd evigate to a minimum because
Willie Horton screwed that up, Bob Lilli Horton and Bobby Stewart.
(15:28):
Bobby Stewart messed it up for life, as for second
of your life, as he messed it up for everybody
when he escaped. But Louis Greco and I, like, I
first got the Shirley Minimum and I was like living
in Cottage eight. Louis lived in Cottage ten. And I say,
am like, somebody said, that's Louis Greco, and like I've
heard about this because I worked in the infirmary in
(15:51):
Norfolk in nineteen nineteen eighty one. I took care of
Henry Timelio. So I knew, I knew all of those guys,
you know, but I never met Louis. And then so
I saw I saw Louis and like, hey kid, hey kid,
will you go to the canteen and get me a
pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate chip? Thank you? So
(16:12):
Louie was Louis was great and.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
He died before he get out.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Man, you know like, oh, I know, no, he has
a state want some money. He got about he got
about eighteen and I think Tom Mellie, we've got fifteen
and Lamoney uh and Svati Bolt survived, came out. Joe
is still alive today. Hey, I hate to do this
to you, Frank. All right, all right, thank you call
do me your favorite. Rob will leave you my give
you my my my personal number, give me a call sometime.
(16:39):
I'd love to talk to you off air. But it's you.
A great caller, a great caller.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Okay, don't hang up. Rob will give you my direct line.
Rob will take a quick break. We got to get
to the newscast. Let's take a quick break. Okay.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World,
Nice Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Well, that call went pretty long with but I think
it was well worth it. Let me go to Daryl
up in New Brunswick, Canada. Darryl's a that's a tough
call to follow. How are you, Darryl?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Hey, Dan, I can listen to Frank. You can keep
me on hold and I'll wait till the next call.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Right, no, no, no, you go right ahead, You're you're on,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
My situation was with my twin brother, just to put
the forefront out there, he shot himself out on the
farm and it was a Saturday morning and I had
actually driven out to the farm out in Alberta, just
outside Abington, and I would just dropping by to see
(17:39):
how he was because he just got to town and
he was sleeping on the couch. So I said, wow,
I'll tee up with him later, right, And back in
those days, we had the old cassette tapes for the
answering machines. So I swung by my apartment because I
had to go work on a Saturday morning to make
up some hours, and I put the casette just as
(18:00):
I was tolling in to work and said I always
love you, dude, and the gab was gone. So what
I'm saying is to let people know that, you know,
the indicators might not be there. Yeah, but this topic is,
(18:22):
this topic is so important because his letter to me
was he respected me so much, super being in the military,
all that stuff, right, So what I'm getting at is,
if people want to actually make a difference, you know,
the indicators might not be there, but just pay attention
(18:45):
because back then it wasn't the we're talking back in
eighty six, right, so we didn't have all the cracket
and stuff and all the addictions.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Right.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
The big thing back then was just a place to stay.
And if I would have known that, he could have
stayed at my apartment. Right, it was just a bachelor.
We could have thrown a bedroom, bed in the closet
and the walk in closet done. But the kicker was
the kicker was going back to Frank. I believe his
(19:18):
grandson or his son was born on his birthday. My
son was born there. I buried my brother, and I.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Had no clue.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I had no clue that my son was even on
the way. So what you can't do is you can't
blame other people for things that might have happened. And
like I said, it's you carry great topics and if
this helps other people, even in the military, because you
reach out to a lot of military people. I've done
(19:53):
suicide wise quite a bit in the military, and they
didn't even know I was doing suicide wise as I
talked to my chief and say, hey, you know you're
doing daily inspections if you're recalling the military in the
morning and you got guys going saying, hey, your humor
sucks this early in the morning. Okay, but they forget
(20:15):
all about what they were thinking.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah. So, but.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
No, you keep you keep great topics going.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
And I'm so sorry about your brother. How old when
he when he passed.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Three months from twenty wow?
Speaker 3 (20:36):
So but still a teenager? Wow wow?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
And but to kick their being there was no indicators?
Yeah right. And what I'm saying is for all those
people out there, you got family. But as long as
there's no addictions, if the guy that needs or yall
just needs places day, just getting them back on their feet,
(21:01):
because economic times are harder today, right, And that's why
people listen to your programs to hopefully assist other people,
knowing that there's other things out there. As my brother
would probably not have done what he did if he
would have known he was going to be an uncle.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
So again it goes back to you can't blame anybody
for anything, right.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
It's.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Your call, and Frank's call leave me speechless. So I
just want to say thanks for calling and sharing this.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
No, but that's why at the end of the hour,
I said I'll give it a call and see if
adult still talking about it. Rob asked you, you said yes,
and again goes back to Frank.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Kudos as to both.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Thanks you, Secular, you.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Too, You too, my friend. Thanks much. I'm going to
get one more in here before the break, Rob. I'm
going to go a little longer here. Clara in Florida. Clara,
don't want you have to wait through the news.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Welcome back, Okay, Thank you.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Dan. I have hit rock bottom where I've experienced hell,
and I've I came very close to suicide about a
year ago. I was going to cut myself with a
box cutter. I already had a suicide note written in
(22:36):
my mind, and my whole world came crashing down. It's
it's a horrible situation to be in and a family
member is a doctor and he just told me to
snap out of it and I couldn't. And the only
way that I was able to climb out of that
(22:57):
hell was too down And think about my cats. What
would happen to my cats if I were to kill myself?
And it's a horrible thing. I suffer from PTSD and
major depression and it's very difficult to talk about I've
(23:21):
called the nine e eight number several times in the
middle of the night and they've been helpful.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
That is the national suicide number, if I'm not mistaken correct, Yes,
that from anywhere. So anybody who's listening tonight, if you
need someone to talk to it, it's simply just dial night.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
Yes, they're very helpful and they're there, and I do
speak to it therapist. I have phone appointments every two
weeks and a psychiatrist. But let me tell you, Dan
that that incident was hard. That I went through my
hopeful world just came classing down.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Yeah. No, I'm a little familiar with the conversations that
we've had off air, Clara, so I know that you've
gone through a rough what we would call a rough spot.
It's more than a rough spot, but I'll just leave
it at that as a rough spot. But hopefully you're
coming out the other end, and a show like tonight
(24:26):
shows you that there are other people who are You know,
people feel so alone with suicide and they think they're
the only one who's dealing with this overwhelming set of circumstances.
But there's more help out dealing. People realize you found
nine eight eight I'll bet you there's some people tonight
who are going to call nine eight eight because you
(24:48):
called my program. So yes, help, You've helped other people tonight,
Clara by one not not succumbing to the so called
easy way out. And I know it's not an easy
way out, but you know you you have stood strong
and you have offered a suggestion tonight there may be
(25:11):
someone somewhere in America who's going to dial nine eighty
eight because Clara called night Side tonight.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
I thank you for that, and I highly recommend it.
And they they are very sympathetic. They listen to you,
they'll stay on the phone with you as long as
you need to. So it's it's it's been very it's
a very useful tool, and it's free.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Okay, all right, Well that's that is a great recommendation.
And Clara, again, I took you before the newscast here
and I'm glad I did.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Thank you well, Thank you, Clara, and you hang in there. Okay,
It's okay.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
Dan.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
You know they say sometimes it's darkest before the dawn,
but I think you've got through the worst, so just
keep on being strong on Okay.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Okay, thank you, damn, thank you, Clara.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Good night.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
I'd love you.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
You know that.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Okay, thanks, good night, Okay, we got a newscast. If
you want to talk about suicide, I don't know how
you can beat those three calls Frank, Daryl and Clara.
That's not what you're what I'm asking you to do.
If you want to talk and add anything here, I'm
open to it. I got wide open lines six, one, seven, two, five, four,
(26:28):
ten thirty, six one seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty.
If you don't think there aren't people out there who
are dealing with issues, you just heard three of them
who nonetheless are still with us. Thank god. I thank
them for calling. And if you'd like to join the conversation, great,
If not, I'm going to change topics. That's that's the choice.
(26:49):
Here comes the news. You have the numbers back on
Night Side.
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