Investigators: Accused Child Molester Showed Porn to Toddlers

John Burbine's attorney has asked a judge to dismiss eight of the 100 charges filed against him.

The lawyer for accused child molester John Burbine has asked a judge to dismiss eight of the 100 charges his client is facing, saying his own client reached a "level of deviancy and perversion" unanticipated by the law, given the very young age of the victims from Melrose and neighboring communities. Attorney Bill Barabino has filed a motion to dismiss six counts of aggravated rape of a child and two counts of dissemination of matter harmful to minors. This would still leave Burbine facing some 92 counts. His wife, Marian, faces additional charges of reckless endangerment of a child for operating an illegal day care center in Wakefield where many of the victims' families were clients. After today's hearing in Middlesex Superior Court, …

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Auditor Report Finds Sex Offenders at Registered Child Care Facilities

State audit finds 119 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders living at addresses registered as child care providers. Also, background checks not being done in some cases.

A new report from State Auditor Suzanne Bump suggests that a surprisingly large number of sex offenders statewide may be living in properties also used as childcare facilities. According to the report, the recent audit found 119 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders living at addresses that were also registered with the state as child care providers. The audit took place over 15 months from July 2010 through September 2011. “While we recognize that all 119 may not pose a problem because some of the information in the sex offender registry may be outdated, we believe that routinely conducting this match will serve to better ensure the safety of children in (Department of Early Education and Care’s) programs,” stated the report.  Meanwhile, the report…

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Accused Child Molester's Wife to Stand Trial in August

Marian Burbine, the wife of accused serial child molester John Burbine, now has an expected trial date of Aug. 9.

Marian Burbine, the wife of accused serial child molester John Burbine, now has an expected trial date of Aug. 9. She faces six counts of reckless endangerment of a child, and two counts of operating an unlicensed day care business. Meanwhile, John Burbine is facing nearly 100 charges for allegedly sexually assaulting children from the Melrose area. Appearing with his client at a Wednesday afternoon hearing at Middlesex Superior Court, attorney John Ruehrwein told the court that he was seeking additional time because of the large amount of evidence associated with the case. The previous trial date for Mrs. Burbine had been June 25.  Marian Burbine is next due back in court on April 25 for a suppression hearing, with a pre-trial conference …

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Next Marian Burbine Court Date is March 21

Marian Burbine is slated for a March 21 pre-trial conference in a Woburn court. She is accused of running an illegal day care in Wakefield.

A pre-trial conference for Marian Burbine, wife of accused sexual abuser John Burbine, is slated for March 21 at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. Marian Burbine, whose husband allegedly sexually abused children from the Melrose area, was initially scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. She has been under house arrest in Wakefield since late last year, charged with six counts of reckless endangerment of a child and two counts of running an illegal day care business - the former Waterfall Education Center in Wakefield. Marian Burbine's husband, John, has pleaded not guilty to about 100 counts involving the sexual abuse of children who were pupils at the former day care and tutoring business. The next step in John Burbine's legal case …

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Lawmakers Propose Comprehensive Reforms To Sex Offender Registry

In wake of the John Burbine case, local lawmakers announce a comprehensive proposal to reform state sex offender reporting policies.

Local lawmakers told the Boston-area media Wednesday morning that they have filed comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the ways information about sex offenders is shared between law enforcement, state agencies, and the public. The legislation was motivated by the charges against John and Marian Burbine, both of Wakefield. John Burbine is facing nearly 100 charges involving the sexual abuse of young children from the Melrose area, while his wife is charged with multiple counts stemming from the illegal day care she operated. John Burbine was classified as a level 1 sex offender after a 1989 case involving several young children - and with that classification level was able to avoid detection even when a local mother tried to check …

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Report: Senate GOP To File Bill In Response To Burbine Case

Fox 25 Report says Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr will introduce bill Friday aimed at closing loopholes in sex offender registration system. Back in December, State Senator Katherine Clark raised some similar ideas.

As promised last month after news of the John Burbine sex abuse case—which involved Melrose area children allegedly being sexually abused—first broke, state lawmakers are introducing a bill aimed at closing loopholes in the sex offender registration system. A Thursday report on MyFoxBoston says that State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr will introduce a bill Friday that would allow Level 1 sex offender information to be made public, and which would also an offender to be reclassified if new information came up about them. The article also quotes Wakefield Police Chief Rick Smith as saying that he supports the previously mentioned items, while also citing the need for better inter-agency communication. In December, soon after Middlesex …

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Burbine Attorney: Media Coverage Has Been Fair So Far

Attorney Bill Barabino of Wakefield took a minute to discuss how the media has covered his client, John Burbine, so far. Burbine is accused of sexually abusing children from the Melrose area.

Wakefield attorney Bill Barabino has a task that few would envy. Barabino is responsible for defending a client, John Burbine, in what the district attorney has called one of the worst child sex abuse cases in recent memory - while also working amid very intense media attention to the case. In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Wakefield Patch asked Barabino if amid the media crush, the coverage of his client has basically been fair. Burbine is accused of sexually abusing children from the Melrose area. "I think people have reportedly accurately the facts that have been represented in court," said Barabino, adding that nothing specific came to mind about a story that was unfair or inaccurate in the region's media. The Wakefield-based …

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Trial Date Set For Wakefield Man Accused of Sexually Abusing Melrose Children

Wakefield resident John Burbine is facing nearly 100 counts of child sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty last month and his next court action is a motion to dismiss in April.

John Burbine is expected to go to trial in December to face nearly 100 counts involving the sexual abuse of Melrose area children, according to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone. A spokeswoman for the DA's office reported that a tentative trial date of Dec. 10 has been set for Burbine. His next court proceeding is April 13 when his attorney, John Barabino of Wakefield, is expected to file a motion to dismiss. Burbine pleaded not guilty last month to nearly 100 charges involving the sex abuse of children, one of whom was as young as 8 days old. Burbine allegedly sexually abused children in these communities: Melrose, Woburn, Newton, Reading, Stoneham and Waltham. A separate Boston Herald article quoted Barabino outside …

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Five Things You Need to Know Today

5 Things: Wife of Accused Child Sex Abuser Appears in Court

Check out the Five Things column for Friday, Dec. 21.

Here are five things to know for Friday, Dec. 21: 1. In case you missed it: Marian Burbine, the wife of John Burbine, who is facing nearly 100 charges for allegedly sexually abusing children, is facing multiple charges also and appeared in Middlesex Superior Court Thursday in Woburn. 2. Meeting time: State Rep. Paul Brodeur will be available to meet with constituents from 1-2 p.m. Friday at the Milano Senior Center. 3. Food pantry: The Servant's Heart Food Pantry is open from 10-11:30 a.m. Friday at the Faith Evangelical Church, 200 Franklin St. The food pantry helps more than 200 families in the Melrose region by providing emergency food to people in need. 4. Need gas? Looking for gas prices and traffic updates before leaving Melrose for …

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