Threat Claimed In Stuart Case

BOSTON - A teen-ager says police threatened him with a 20-year prison sentence to pressure him into implicating a black man in the shooting death of pregnant Carol Stuart and the wounding of her husband.

Black Bostonians have criticized police for not initially considering Charles Stuart a suspect in the Oct. 23 shooting of his wife. Stuart, who had blamed the attack on a black mugger, committed suicide Jan. 4 when police got information he had shot his wife and himself.

Dereck Jackson, 17, told reporters that police investigators intimidated him into saying he had heard Willie Bennett, 39, confess to shooting the Stuarts. Bennett, who had been picked out of a police lineup by Charles Stuart was never charged but was named as the chief suspect in police leaks to reporters.

Jackson gave the following version of events:

One day after the Stuart shooting, Jackson went to the apartment of Joey Bennett, Willie Bennett's nephew.

In a bedroom, Jackson said he asked Joey whether his uncle was involved in the Stuart shooting and that Joey replied: ``Yeah.'' Jackson said Joey then ``laughed, like he was joking.''

Jackson said he told a friend, Eric Whitney, about Joey Bennett's statement and that it was Whitney, whose mother was dating a Boston policeman, who later provided him with the false details of the shooting that Jackson says he was intimidated into relating to police.

Called in by police, Jackson said he told Det. Peter O'Malley and Officer William Dunn ``the flat-out truth.'' He said O'Malley replied: ``You're lying'' and said he would go to prison for 20 years.

Next, police brought Eric Whitney into the room. Jackson said O'Malley then asked him to recount what had happened in Joey Bennett's bedroom. When Jackson omitted any mention of having heard Willie Bennett confess, Eric Whitney interrupted, suggesting he give the version implicating Bennett, Jackson said.

When Jackson then told the false version, O'Malley interjected: ``Is that the truth, Dereck?'' Jackson admitted he said yes.

Jackson said O'Malley told him: ``Now we believe you. You did good.''

Jackson said he was concerned about implicating Bennett, so he and Whitney met with police again. After separate interviews, he said, Whitney told him, ``If we don't stick to our stories, we're under arrest. We're not leaving here. Dee, they're talking about 20 years. They're not playing games. Dee, I want to leave here.''

Jackson said an assistant district attorney approached him minutes before his grand jury appearance a couple of weeks later and showed him a typed version of his taped statement - the one Jackson said he knew was a lie - and asked whether it was the truth. Jackson said yes.

Before the grand jury, Jackson said he ``told the whole blatant lie.''

After talking to a public defender, Jackson said, he met later that day with O'Malley and the prosecutors. In that meeting, both Jackson and Whitney admitted to lying about hearing a confession by Willie Bennett.

Jackson returned to the grand jury the next day and recanted his testimony.

``I wanted to do the right thing,'' Jackson said. ``I didn't want this guy to go to jail.''

Boston police yesterday referred questions on the Jackson interview to Suffolk County District Attorney Newman Flanagan, who could not be reached.