Pittsfield Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter

01:53PM / Friday, January 17, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Friday, Jan. 17, Laquan M. Johnson, 29, of Pittsfield, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and seven charges connected to the April 4 killing of Stephan Curley.

The Honorable Judge Agostini of Berkshire Superior Court sentenced Johnson to 12 to 15 years in state prison. The sentence exceeds sentencing guidelines, which recommend 9 to 13.5 years. The plea took place prior to the result of a jury verdict from a trial that began on Jan. 8.

The Commonwealth requested a state prison sentence of 15 to 20 years, while the defense requested a sentence of 10 years to 10 years and one day.

"My thoughts are with Mr. Curley's family during this difficult time," District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue said. "While Laquan Johnson's lengthy sentence will never bring Mr. Curley back, I hope it offers some measure of comfort to his loved ones. Gun violence affects not only the perpetrators and victims but the entire community. Today's plea represents a step toward healing, offering Ms. Satrape, Mr. Curley's family, and the community an opportunity to look forward toward a new day."

Johnson also pleaded guilty to additional charges, with sentences running concurrently:

5 to 7 years for armed assault with intent to murder.
2 to 3 years each for two counts of assault and battery by discharging a firearm.
2 years in the House of Corrections for possession of a firearm without an FID card.
2 years in the House of Corrections for possession of ammunition without an FID card.
2 to 4 years in state prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
2 to 4 years in state prison for possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance.

On April 4, 2022, Johnson shot and killed 26-year-old Stephan Curley of Springfield and injured 28-year-old Dominique Satrape of Pittsfield.

At approximately 4:22 p.m., Pittsfield Police responded to ShotSpotter activation detecting five gunshot rounds near 71 King Street. At about 4:27 p.m., police were also dispatched to Berkshire Medical Center following a report of a person with a gunshot wound, later identified as Curley.

Police investigating the scene at 71 King Street observed Meilani Eurquhart, Johnson's sister, outside leaning over a garbage can. When questioned, she admitted to hearing gunshots but dropped several spent shell casings when asked to raise her hands. Officers also found additional spent shell casings on the porch.

Based on evidence outside the residence, officers secured the house pending a search warrant. Inside, they found Johnson, who had just exited the shower, and another spent shell casing in the hallway. A gun matching the weapon used in the shooting was discovered in a safe belonging to Johnson.

Detectives stated Johnson showered to remove gun residue after the shooting. During the trial, Johnson admitted to shooting Curley, claiming it was in self-defense. Prosecutors stated the shooting was not in self-defense and that there was no evidence Curley had a gun during the incident. Witness testimony and video evidence showed Johnson fired at Curley and Satrape immediately upon their arrival, with only 16 seconds elapsing between Curley's arrival and the gunfire.

Assistant District Attorneys Joseph Yorlano and Heather Valentine represented the Commonwealth. Assistant District Attorney Jocelyn McGrath, from the Berkshire District Attorney's Appellate Unit, also contributed to the case. Victim Witness Advocate Kristen Rapkowicz provided support to the families. The Pittsfield Police Department led the investigation.

Two outstanding drug charges, stemming from substances recovered during the search of Johnson's safe, were severed from the initial trial at the defense's request but incorporated into Friday’s plea.

Tags: manslaughter, superior court,

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Pittsfield Man Creates Device to Clear Lakes of Algae Blooms

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
08:07AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

Marc Bellora holds a jar of lake water, left, to compare to water cleaned by his Aqua Clarifier Water System.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Marc Bellora has high hopes for a device he's created to treat lakes from harmful algae blooms.

His patented water clarifier can physically remove captured material rather than letting the nutrient-rich material settle back into the lake, which occurs when herbicides are used.

"It's a long-term lake management tool that can be used to reduce legacy nutrients in lakes and ponds over time," he explained. "We built the prototype, this is a prototype. It does approximately 65 to 70 gallons per minute. It's very environmentally friendly. Can be used with air only, or we can use a low-dose potable polyaluminum chloride (PACL) or chemical on board that can help improve results."

The water clarifier barge is based on well-proven technology for water treatment, he said. "It's a self-contained, portable, mobile unit that removes algae blooms, nitrogen, phosphorus, and the associated nitrogen and phosphorus within lakes."

Bellora founded Clear Waterways Group with business partner Mark Simon. They built a prototype mobile unit and are still working out the kinks. It's taken Bellora about five years to bring the project to fruition as he is also a full-time Realtor.

He says the repurposed barge they use has a device that uses air to filter the water to separate harmful bacteria or uses a chemical at low doses. They are testing both to see how well each does at cleaning the water.

"They would do the same thing here, except they would spray it, and it blocks all that stuff together," Bellora said of the use of herbicides. "But then it drops to the bottom. So now all the nutrients that are attached in that plot go to the bottom and contribute to the legacy nutrients only to fuel next year's bloom. Ours removes it."

He said just using air alone has removed 70 to 90 percent of harmful algae where he has been operating on the south end of Pontoosuc Lake.

"Essentially, we take in the bad stuff, we take in the lake water. We separate the good stuff from the bad stuff. Clean water goes back into the lake, and the bad stuff can either be composted, or it can be taken to the wastewater treatment plant, which is what we're doing here," he said.

Bellora explained that tiny air bubbles attach to particles in the water, making them buoyant so they rise and can be removed. The unit can operate with air alone, or with a low dose of potable polyaluminum chloride.

PACL helps through flocculation: it gathers small particles into larger clumps that are easier for air bubbles to capture. He said this can help remove dissolved nutrients that air alone may not capture as effectively.

Bellora said he was inspired to build something like this after noticing the lakes he enjoys being shut down because of algae blooms.

The city issued a health advisory for Pontoosuc in August, warning residents not to swim or come in contact with the lake water because of an algae bloom. The cyanobacteria can cause skin irritations, vomiting and diarrhea and nerve or liver problems.

Bellora previously worked for a company that used traditional dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems to treat water. In that role, he traveled around the country to work at paper mills and food-processing plants.

That experience gave him a practical understanding of DAF, and while flying between jobs, he would see green ponds and wonder whether the technology could be adapted to treat lakes.

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