Ice-cold killer?
A kids’ hockey game ended in a deadly brawl
On a summer’s day in July 2000, local parents and their excitable kids piled into an ice-hockey rink in Reading, Massachusetts, US. All revved up for their regular Wednesday practice game.
As usual, Michael Costin, 40, a carpenter and father of four, was supervising the game.
His three sons were all on one team and he shouted encouragement and directions from the sidelines.
Scuffle in the stands
The scrimmage, or practice game, was supposed to be non-contact.
Yet, suddenly, another parent watching in the arena became angry at the on-ice jostling.
It was Thomas Junta, whose son, 10, was on the opposing team to Michael’s three boys.
The 42-year-old truck driver had spotted a player elbow his son in the face.
Enraged, Thomas yelled at Michael, accusing him of encouraging his team to act aggressively to the opposing team. Not controlling the rough play.
‘That’s hockey,’ Michael shrugged as the men argued across the ice.
It was enough to infuriate Thomas further. As the coach and players headed back to the locker rooms, the two fathers got into a scuffle.
A row over the aggression among the players on the ice had ironically turned violent among parents in the stands.
The shoving match was quickly broken up by bystanders. Thomas Junta was ordered to leave.
Only, a minute later, he came back...
Another fight broke out between the ice-hockey dads.
It ended with Thomas sitting on Michael’s chest, punching him in front of dozens of horrified parents and children. Including their own sons. Leaving Michael prone on the floor, Thomas left.
Michael never regained consciousness. Declared brain dead, his life support was turned off two days later.
Thomas Junta turned himself in to the police and was charged with manslaughter for beating the father to death.
He pleaded not guilty, claiming he’d only been acting in self-defence.
Eighteen months on, Thomas Junta stood trial.
Michael’s four children were in the courtroom to hear the details of their father’s death.
Also present was Junta’s
mother and his 12 siblings – and Junta testified that he’d only returned to the arena because he was concerned about his son, who was still inside.
He said he simply wanted to pick up the boy, but that Michael threw a ‘sucker punch’ at him as he re-approached the rink, then jumped on him and continued to hit and kick him after they both fell to the floor.
Junta claimed he landed just ‘three off-balance’ punches during the brawl.
A different story
Junta’s son, by then aged 12, took the stand and corroborated his father’s claim.
But other witnesses had a different story
Assistant Rink Manager Nancy Blanchard said Junta looked enraged as he stormed back inside, shoved her aside, bruising her arm in the process, and headed straight for Michael.
Two other witnesses both said they’d screamed, ‘Stop. You’re going to kill him!’
They said that Junta hit Michael repeatedly on the head, while pinning him down on the thinlymatted floor.
The prosecutors painted a picture of Junta getting ‘madder and madder’ before the attack.
They repeatedly drew attention to his ‘barrelchested’ bulk.
He was 6ft 1in and over 19st – and he was accused of using his 8st weight advantage to overpower 6ft, 11st Michael. Medical experts for both the prosecution and defence agreed on the cause of death. A ruptured artery in the base of Michael’s spine had caused catastrophic brain damage.
Yet, the prosecution argued, only ‘severe trauma’ from repeated punches could have caused such an injury.
A former medical examiner even described Michael’s injuries as ‘nearly severing the head from the neck’.
However, the defence produced an expert who claimed a single blow would’ve been enough.
Media circus
In his closing argument, Junta’s lawyer described him as a ‘gentle giant’.
He said his client had taken a ‘serious thrashing’ from Michael during their first scuffle.
He said he was left with a 4in scratch on his face, a ripped shirt, cuts on his arms and scratches on his legs from where he said Michael kicked him with his ice skates.
And Junta claimed that he hadn’t realised the seriousness of Michael’s condition when he left the rink.
‘I thought when he laid back down that he was just resting,’ Junta told jurors.
After a week-long trial, and amid a media circus, the jury was asked to retire to consider their verdict.
Had Thomas Junta been acting in self defence?
Or was he an out-ofcontrol thug who knew full well the pure force of his punches could kill his victim?