From Court TV Online:

...In arguing it was self-defense, Orlandi mentioned Costin's police record, which included multiple convictions for such charges as weapons possession and assaulting a police officer. Prosecutors said Junta also had a record, having been charged in 1992 with assault and battery. There was no finding in that case.



...Speaking on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday, Augustine Costin blamed his son's legal difficulties on personal and family problems.

"He wasn't a criminal, he wasn't a bad kid. He had a drinking problem, and there was a problem with the family," Costin said. "And all the reason why he was in jail was because he was trying to get his children back because the courts gave the wife custody."

Augustine Costin himself was convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing death of another son, Dennis,

[!!] 17, about 25 years ago, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.