North Adams Man Indicted on Murder, Arson Charges

Staff Reports 02:30PM / Friday, April 03, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Darius Hazard was arraigned in Berkshire Superior Court on Thursday on two counts of first-degree murder related to deaths of his parents last November.

Hazard, 44, pleaded not guilty to the charges and to a third charge of arson of a dwelling house.

He is being held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction, where he has been housed since Nov. 25.

Hazard is accused of assaulting his parents, Donald Hazard, 83, and Venture Hazard, 76, on Nov. 24, 2025, and setting fire to the family on Francis Street.

The bodies of his parents were discovered in the home by firefighters.

North Adams Police said Hazard allegedly confessed to the assaults and the arson when he was taken into custody that day.

Hazard was initially arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court on Nov. 26 and was to appear for a pretrial hearing on March 3. That hearing was postponed but he was indicted March 23 on the felony charges and his case removed to Berkshire Superior Court.

The next pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29, 2026, in Superior Court.

Tags: arson, murder,

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Pittsfield Schools Consider Enhanced Bus Surveillance

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:58PM / Tuesday, October 20, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Pittsfield Public Schools are considering a couple of companies for enhanced bus safety surveillance after a spring pilot.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland reported that they have met with BusPatrol and Gatekeeper Systems, which offer automated stop-arm enforcement and video surveillance.

It is illegal for drivers to pass a school bus when the red warning lights are flashing, and the stop-sign arm is extended. This protects children exiting and entering the school bus.

A stop-arm camera pilot program was conducted in May.

"We currently have a four-camera system on the interior of the bus, so Gatekeeper is sort of better as far as functionality. It's a little more of an upfront investment," Howland told the School Committee last week.

"BusPatrol works where you basically have an installation of the cameras, and then as tickets are issued to people, you sort of regain your investment, so it's two different sort of cost profiles."

Gatekeeper would cost about $100,000 to purchase, while BusPatrol has no upfront cost and a monthly charge.

PPS is interested in putting cameras in all of its buses, about 30. Howland said that Gatekeeper has a little more robust system that fits into our current system, and Mayor Peter Marchetti reported that the company with no upfront cost helps secure a grant for implementation: $1,200 per camera and $250 a month per bus.

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