SJC will hear arguments in case of man convicted of 2005 Deerfield murder
SPRINGFIELD — Judges in the state's highest court will hear new arguments for Dennis M. Bateman, 61, convicted of the 2005 murder of a pregnant woman at a Deerfield gas station.
Bateman's defense attorney, Amy Codagnone, said his trial was "infected by errors," in an earlier appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court.
Last year, Codagnone said an audio recording that was heard at Bateman's trial between Bateman and the police was edited. That will be one of the subjects of an upcoming hearing on Oct. 14 before the high court, according to judicial documents.
Codagnone did not immediately respond to requests for comment via phone or email.
Five of the seven judges will hear arguments from both Codagnone and the commonwealth, represented by Cynthia Marie Von Flater and Steve Gagne, assistant district attorneys for the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.
Laurie Loisel, spokesperson for the DA's Office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the upcoming hearing, which will take place in Boston.
Bateman has attempted several times to get a new trial, court documents show. He is currently serving two consecutive life prison sentences without parole.
In 2023, the Supreme Judicial Court upheld his 2007 conviction for two counts of murder in the strangling of Brandy Waryasz, a 21-year-old Sunoco gas station attendant who was seven months pregnant.
Waryasz was killed on April 16, 2005, during a robbery. Prosecutors said that after killing Waryasz, Bateman made off with $350 from the register and used the money to buy crack cocaine.
Suzanne Bateman said she feels some nerves about her husband's upcoming hearing, especially because of the Supreme Judicial Court's decision to uphold his murder conviction a couple of years ago.
"I think this could be a racial thing ... no matter how much evidence comes forward, he's been railroaded time and time again," she said.
Suzanne Bateman, who now uses a wheelchair, said she hopes the new evidence will help the court sway differently this time.
"I need him home," she said. "He is innocent."
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