Life Sentence Imposed in Asiyanna Jones Murder

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gary Linen, 42, has been sentenced to life in state prison in the murder of Asiyanna Jones.
 
Lengthy state prison sentences were handed down by Judge John Agostini on Wednesday for those responsible for the death of of the 22-year-old Jones.
 
In addition to Linen, Carey Pilot was sentenced to serve 15 to 20 years in state prison for manslaughter, and Elizabeth Perez to serve two to four years in state prison for misleading a police officer in the homicide investigation.
 
The commonwealth had requested sentences of the statutorily required life in prison for Linen, 18 to 20 years in prison for Pilot, and a significant state prison sentence for misleading a police officer during a homicide investigation for Perez. Defense attorneys requested life for Linen, four to six years for Pilot, and a two-and-a-half-year split sentence at the House of Correction for Perez.
 
Last week, a jury returned the guilty verdicts in the Oct. 2, 2017, shooting death. Pilot, 50, and Linen, 42, engaged in a gunfight on Dewey Avenue in Pittsfield on that evening and a bullet struck Jones, who was inside a car. Perez, 30, lied to police during the investigation.
 
"I thank Asiyanna Jones' family for their powerful victim witness statements they delivered in court today and I am proud of the trial team for their meticulous work in obtaining these convictions," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.
 
The Pittsfield Police Department with assistance from the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, Berkshire County Sheriff's Department, the Berkshire Law Enforcement Task Force, Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services and Massachusetts State Police Firearms Identification Section conducted the investigation.

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Pittsfield Council to See Borrow Request for Water Treatment Upgrades

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city plans to complete upgrades to the Cleveland and Ashley Water Treatment Plants by 2033. 

On the agenda is a request to borrow up to $15 million for upgrades to the city's two water treatment plants, the Cleveland and Ashley Water Treatment Plants.  This would fund the final design and permitting for Phases 1-3, phase 1 of interim updates, allowances, and contingency. 

The total water treatment plant program is estimated to be $165 million over the next 8 years, with $150 million for long-term construction and $15 million for near-term needs "to keep the plants operational and
advance the program through design and permitting," the project's cover letter explains. 

The city does not anticipate water rate increases outside of the established new system based on the  Consumer Price Index Factor (CPIF) and the Operational Stability Factor (OSF). 

"This borrowing, and subsequent authorizations anticipated over the multi-year WTP program, has
been integrated into the Water Enterprise Fund's rate structure so that future debt service is absorbed
within the Council's established formula," the cover letter reads. 

The $15,000,000 borrowing would support:

  • Final Design & Permitting (Phases 1–3): $9.2M
  • Phase 1 Construction (incl. bidding & engineering during construction): $2.4M
  • Land Acquisition/Misc. Engineering/Legal/Contingency: $1.4M
  • WTP Equipment Replacement/Maintenance to Plant Operations: $2.0M

Starting this year, two finished water storage tanks would be designed and constructed, chemical improvements would be made at the Cleveland WTP, and the East New Lenox Road flow control station would receive a new pump station to allow the Ashley WTP to be offline during the third phase. 

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