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Emergency Line
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The Lowell Sun, June 30, 1995
IDA KARP MURDER TRIAL
Erickon’s choice kept him from serving life in prison
By JOE BARTOLOTTA, Sun Staff
LOWELL – On the eve of his murder trial, 19-year-old Steven Erickson had to make a choice – knowing the wrong one could cost him his freedom forever.
Should he tell the jury he was innocent and hope not to be convicted of first-degree murder and be sent away for the rest of his life? Or should he plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and spend at least 10 years in prison?
The teen-ager was leaning toward avoiding the trial and taking the plea bargain offered by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office, but his brother, Thomas, told him not to give in. “Hang in there,” he had said. Erickson did “hang in” and, even though he was not found innocent, it proved to be the right choice. He can gain his freedom will short of the 10 years offered in the plea bargain.
Erickson, who grew up in Lowell and was living in Derry, N.H., was convicted of arson and involuntary manslaughter for the 1993 fire that killed Ida Karp, 83, of Lowell. He was sentenced this week to serve 10 years of an 18- to 20-year sentence. With good behavior, he will be free in 5 years and 10 months – or 4 years and 2 months less that the “bargain” offered by prosecutors. “He did show a lot of maturity in making the decision, “ his lawyer, Scott Bratton of Lowell, said. “It’s always a very frightening experience to go on trial when the government is trying to put you in jail for life.” Decisions like the one Erickson made occur every day in court, where lawyers and judges privately discuss pleas bargains in the judge’s chambers. Such decisions are based on several factors that both defense and prosecution must weigh. They include the strength of the evidence and a lawyer’s willingness to present it to a jury viewed as unpredictable. Other factors include a defendant’s criminal record and a victim’s desire to punish the accused. Ida Karp’s family had given its approval to the deal.
Erickson and Jamie Shattuck, 19, of Lowell, walked onto Karp’s cluttered front porch late in the evening of Nov. 15, 1993. A stack of newspapers were set on fire. Karp died when she was trapped by the flames. In a separate trial earlier this month, Shattuck was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to serve 11 years of an 18-20 year sentence. With good behavior, Shattuck will be eligible for release in six years. Shattuck’s lawyer, Earl Howard of Cambridge, said his client wanted to consider a plea bargain, but the district attorney’s office never made an offer. Shattuck also had seven prior convictions dating back to when he was convicted at age 12 of larceny over $250.
Nevertheless, Shattuck feels he was discriminated against, Howard said. “That’s what my client feels – it was because of his underprivileged background,” Howard said.
Erickson could afford his own attorney and had only one prior conviction for drunk driving. His family was able to post $50,000 bail. Assistant District Attorney David Meier, who heads the Lowell office, and First Assistant District Attorney Martin Murphy both declined to comment on offers made in the Karp case or plea bargains in general. Bratton, who represented Erickson, said he used to recommend whether clients should take an offer from prosecutors, but stopped doing it after a couple of clients wound up with stiffer sentences. “My job is to create options for my client through pre-trial jockeying,” Bratton said. “And once options are created, it’s ultimately the client’s decision as to what to do.”
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