Kevin Hayden
Kevin Hayden | |
|---|---|
| District Attorney for the Suffolk County, Massachusetts | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Charlie Baker |
| Preceded by | Rachael Rollins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) Boston University (JD) |
Kevin R. Hayden is a lawyer and the District Attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts after being appointed by Governor Charlie Baker. Hayden came under intense scrutiny in August 2022 for accusations of attempting to cover up police misconduct.
Early life and education
Hayden grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and spent time in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston when his father moved there following his parents’ divorce. [1] Hayden played lacrosse in high school at Noble and Greenough School and went to Dartmouth College where he majored in English. He worked in finance before going to law school at Boston University.[1]
Career
Hayden served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office from 1997 to 2008. In 2015 Governor Charlie Baker appointed Hayden chairman of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry board.[1]
Suffolk County District Attorney
Governor Baker appointed Hayden to replace Rachael Rollins as Suffolk County District Attorney when Rollins became U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts in January 2022.[2] As district attorney, Hayden increased the number of prosecutors assigned to the civil rights and hate crime unit due to an increase in high-visibility white-supremacist activity in the Boston area.[3][4]
When appointed it was unclear if Hayden planned to run for election and he declared his candidacy in February 2022 as a Democrat, running against city councilor Ricardo Arroyo.[2][5] Hayden received endorsements from elected officials including State Senator Will Brownsberger and Boston City Councilors Frank Baker and Erin Murphy.[1]
Controversies
Hayden was accused of corruption and covering up police misconduct after being appointed Suffolk County DA. In April 2021 Transit Police officer Jacob Green threatened motorist Jason Lenor with a gun while off duty and not in uniform. Green proceeded to cover up the incident with support from colleague Kevin Davis.[6] Investigation of the harassment began under District Attorney Rollins but was not yet concluded by the time Hayden was appointed to the role. Despite strong evidence of misconduct, Hayden's assistant DA Kevin Mullen indicated to attorneys for both Green and Davis that they would not be proceeding to prosecute the case. Following Mullen's first indication the case would not proceed, Green's lawyer Robert Griffin made a donation of $100 to Hayden's election campaign and Green himself made a donation of $125. Griffin claims Hayden personally called him to solicit a donation.[6] Hayden's office declined to comment on investigation by The Boston Globe but did appear to obscure details on the case, including appointing a new prosecutor to the case hours after initial questions were submitted by the Globe.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d Alanez, Tonya (24 July 2022). "'I was called to be the DA': Teenage wish propelled Kevin Hayden to attain dream job". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b Stocio, Nick (10 January 2022). "Kevin Hayden sworn in as new Suffolk district attorney". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Bedford, Tori (28 July 2022). "Suffolk DA candidates talk strategy amid mounting wave of hate crimes and neo-Nazi activity". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "District Attorney Hayden Expands, Renames Office's Civil Rights Team". Chelsea Record. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Wintersmith, Saraya (16 February 2022). "Interim Suffolk Co. DA Kevin Hayden is running for a full term". GBH. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Allen, Evan; Ryan, Andrew (6 August 2022). "'It was you!' Traffic spat turned police coverup leads to questions for DA Hayden". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 August 2022.