Adrian Hinds stands for Judge Philip Contant’s ruling to keep him behind bars until trial at his dangerousness hearing Monday, April 4, 2016 in Westfield District Court. (Photo by Christine Charnosky).
WESTFIELD – An hour after a 90-minute dangerousness hearing was held Monday morning for a city man who assaulted his neighbors with a hammer, Westfield District Judge Philip Contant ruled, “there is clear and convincing evidence that there are no conditions of release to reasonably assure the safety of the victims and also of the community.”
Adrian B. Hinds, 25, will be held for a term not to exceed 120 days while awaiting trial on charges of two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon with serious bodily injury, two counts of armed assault to murder and one charge of animal cruelty for an assault that occurred shortly past 10 a.m. March 23.
Hinds, who lived in the apartment below the victims at Southwood Acres, located at 342 Southwick Road where the assault took place, allegedly assaulted the first victim (a woman in her 20s), striking her several times on and about the head with a hammer before her roommate (a man in his 20s) and their dog came out to assist her. Hinds allegedly struck him and the dog on the head with the hammer, too.
The victims were taken to Baystate Noble Hospital where they were treated and released.
Assistant District Attorney Magali Montes entered approximately 20 photographs of the victims’ injuries into evidence at Monday’s hearing.
Three witnesses – a Westfield police officer, a Westfield police detective and a civilian – testified on behalf of the Commonwealth. A neighbor who allegedly witnessed the assault was not in court Monday.
Hinds’ attorney, Jiacheng Yu, who asked Monday for her client to be released with a GPS monitoring device, had filed a motion Thursday demanding that the Commonwealth produce witnesses for the dangerousness hearing. Contant later denied that motion, so Monday’s witnesses testified voluntarily.
The defense didn’t call any witnesses, but did thoroughly cross-examine all three witnesses.
Westfield Police Officer Michael Bradley testifies at Adrian Hinds’ dangerousness hearing Monday, April 4, 2016 in Westfield District Court. (Photo by Christine Charnosky).
The main point of contention between the Commonwealth and defense was a motive for the vicious assault.
The defendant’s mother, Shirley Hinds, told The Westfield News that the victims allegedly slashed all four tires on their Porsche that morning, which is allegedly what precipitated the assault.
“Nobody gonna jump on you for nothing,” said Shirley Hinds.
She said the way her son struck the victims was “leave me alone hits. They got up and walked around. If he had wanted to kill them, he would have hit them more.”
Shirley Hinds said that the victims had allegedly threatened to “lynch” her and her son. She said they had lived at Southwood Acres for approximately two years. She moved out Saturday.
Both Westfield Police Officer Michael Bradley and Westfield Police Detective Anthony Tsatsos repeatedly testified that the victims had said they had no idea why Hinds had assaulted them.
Tsatsos testified that when the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section arrested Hinds, who was hiding in an apartment in Springfield with his mother a day after the assault, Hinds allegedly said, “I know why you’re here. They deserved what they got. They’re terrorists and they’re being investigated.”
Adrian Hinds’ attorney, Jiacheng Yu, cross examines a witness during her client’s dangerousness hearing Monday, April 4, 2016 in Westfield District Court. (Photo by Christine Charnosky).
A civilian witness, a 47-year-old man who works in maintenance at Southwood Acres, testified that he had seen Hinds and the male victim working out together in the apartment complex’s gym.
“I thought they were cool with each other,” this witness testified.
“I thought he was a good person when I first met him,” the witness said of Hinds.
The maintenance worker also testified that he knew all the people involved in this incident since they were all neighbors, and he has worked there for seven years.
“I conversate with everyone,” he said, indicating that he knew it was Hinds who he saw attack the female victim. He had gone to call the police, so he didn’t actually see Hinds assault the male victim.
This witness testified that the male victim stated, “He (Hinds) must have snapped!”
Regarding the alleged slashed tires, the maintenance worker testified that he heard of tires being slashed, but added, “I don’t know who was doing it.”
Police logs indicate that Hinds fled the scene in a Porsche “with four flat tires,” but Tsatsos testified that the Hinds’ 2004 Porsche Cayenne is a “high-end Porsche” with a low profile that can make the tires appear to be flat.
Tsatsos said that when Hinds’ Porsche was found abandoned in West Springfield hours after the assault, the detective had observed that the “passenger side rear tire was shredded as if (the defendant) had driven on a flat tire.”
“There was only one flat tire,” Tsatsos testified. “When the tire became flat, I can’t tell you.”
Yu asked the maintenance worker how many units are at Southwood Acres and how many residents are African American. The Commonwealth objected, but Contant overruled.
The witness, who is African-American, said there are 182 units with approximately four African-American families.
Yu pressed Tsatsos about a knife the male victim allegedly had taken out of his apartment with him when he went to assist his roommate as Hinds attacked her.
Westfield Police Det. Anthony Tsatsos testifies at Adrian Hinds’ dangerousness hearing Monday, April 4, 2016 in Westfield District Court. (Photo by Christine Charnosky).
“I don’t think the knife wasn’t taken into evidence,” Tsatsos said, because it wasn’t used. The male victim had used pepper spray and that was taken into evidence.
Hinds had no injuries when he was taken into custody the day after the attack.
“They are the only ones to have their tires slashed multiple times,” Yu said, in her closing statement. “Why is that?”
“The victim had a knife that didn’t get tested or taken into evidence,” Yu said. “Why is that?”
Hinds has 11 entries in his Massachusetts Criminal History record including assault with a dangerous weapon, assault, threatening, resisting arrest, malicious destruction of property and four charges of assault and battery on a police officer, according to Montes.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter @charnoskyWNG
