James Carver spent 36 years in prison after he was convicted of setting one of the deadliest fires in Massachusetts history. But after reviewing new scientific evidence, a judge set him free.
Photos by Derek Kouyoumjian
In our tenth year of operation, BINJ is working harder than ever on multiple fronts, from our investigative projects to engagement. The latest proof of that—this week, we are excited to finally co-publish the story of James Carver, a North Shore man who was incarcerated in Massachusetts for 36 years before being released due to scientific evidence and other late revelations.
We want to thank ace BINJ contributor Andrew Quemere for his years-long effort on this story, which he started working on for his own site, The Mass Dump, prior to teaming up with BINJ. And also thanks to The Appeal, which we then brought the Carver story to in order to reach a larger national audience.
You can check out the excerpt below and then jump to the full feature …
It was the early morning of July 4, 1984. A Beverly police officer was driving down Rantoul Street when he heard the owner of the Sunray Bakery screaming to get his attention. The officer turned his cruiser around, then came to a stop. The owner pointed to a rooming house a few blocks away.
It was burning.
The inferno killed 15 people, making it one of the deadliest fires in Massachusetts history. Eventually, a young man would be convicted of setting the blaze and sentenced to spend two consecutive lifetimes in prison for what The Beverly Times described as the “worst mass murder in Massachusetts history.”
But that man, James “Jimmy” Carver, insisted on his innocence. And after Carver’s lawyers presented new scientific evidence at a hearing last spring, a judge agreed that he was entitled to a new trial. In December, the judge ruled that the trial prosecutor relied on junk science to show the fire was arson and unreliable eyewitness testimony to place Carver at the scene. In February, the judge vacated Carver’s sentences and released him without bail—finally freeing him after more than 36 years of incarceration.
Read the full feature on The Appeal here.
