Nantucket County Criminal Defense Lawyers

The earliest French settlement in the Nantucket County region began on the neighboring island of Martha’s Vineyard. The land originally belonged to the Wampanoag people, the original Native American inhabitants. The Wampanoag people lived there peacefully and undisturbed until 1641, before the island was deeded by the English. Thomas Mayhew then came in from his colony in Watertown, Massachusetts, and bought the land. Therefore, Nantucket County was an original settlement by the pilgrims, but it was in 1659 when Mayhew sold the land to English investors, which were led by Tristram Coffin. The land was sold to the famous poachers, "for the sum of thirty Pounds...and also two beaver hats, one for myself, and one for my wife". The "nine original porchasers" were: Tristram Coffin, Peter Coffin, Thomas Macy, Christopher Hussey, Richard Swain, Thomas Barnard, Stephen Greenleafe, John Swain and William Pike. It was soon after that that, in around 1672 that seamen and tradesmen began to move into Nantucket and the whaling industry really started picking up. As Europeans began to settle Cape Cod, the island became a place of refuge for Native Americans in the region, as Europeans did not yet settle Nantucket. The growing population welcomed seasonal groups of other Native Americans who traveled to the island to fish and later harvest whales that washed up on shore.

This rich history for Nantucket County has given way to a very popular island. Nantucket is a tourist spot and serves to be a seasonal housing option for a lot of Massachusetts’s residents. Forbes Magazine has listed Nantucket as having among the highest home values in the United States. Nantucket currently has been a surviving island that has originally 18th century architecture, paired with a new luxurious way to live.

In the short span of four years, between 2001 and 2005 there were 2,144 total crimes reported in Nantucket County, Massachusetts. Out of that high number, 208 of those crimes were violent. This number averages out to be about 429 crimes a year, and the police department in Nantucket County has reported that nearly one half of these crimes occur less than a mile away from the home and furthermore, someone is a victim of a crime every twenty hours. These crimes include 1 murder, 13 rapes, and almost two thousand thefts, including 103 auto thefts. With such frequent and serious crime in the small county of Nantucket, it is important to find an experienced lawyer who can help you, if you find yourself in a situation where legal advice and representation are necessary.

The court systems in Nantucket County include the Nantucket Superior Court, which is located at 16 Broad St. in Nantucket, Massachusetts and serves Shire Town and Nantucket. The Nantucket Division or Nantucket District Court, can be found at the same address and has jurisdiction over the county of Nantucket.

The Law Office of Patrick J. Murphy has nearly twenty years of criminal defense experience providing expert legal representation for clients charged with crimes throughout Massachusetts and his practice includes Nantucket County. Boston criminal defense lawyer Patrick J. Murphy's law office is conveniently located at One South Market Street, Fourth Floor in downtown Boston. Attorney Murphy resides on the South Shore and is also available to meet clients locally. If you would like a free, confidential consultation regarding your criminal case contact Attorney Murphy 24/7 directly at (617) 367-0450 or complete the contacts tab on the website today.