Crime

Man accused of murder had previous case dropped due to public defender work stoppage

A Mattapan man was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon earlier this year. It was dropped, and now he stands accused of a recent fatal stabbing.

MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

November 18, 2025

3 minutes to read

A Mattapan man who was arrested Sunday and charged with murder was also charged earlier this year with possession of a dangerous weapon, but had his case dropped due to the ongoing public defender work stoppage in Massachusetts.

Javonte Robinson, 29, was arrested by Boston police just after 3 p.m. Sunday near Neponset Valley Parkway in Hyde Park. The night before, officers responded to a report about a person that had been stabbed close to an address on Fremont Street in Mattapan. They found a man with a stab wound, who was brought to a local hospital and pronounced dead, according to the BPD.

Robinson was arraigned in Dorchester District Court Monday and pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, according to court records. He was committed to Suffolk County Jail.

In late August, Robinson was arraigned on charges of possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class A drug. He was released on personal recognizance, according to the records, but was transported to Attleboro District Court where he was wanted on other outstanding warrants.

Last month, Robinson’s charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning that the case could be reopened in the future. This was the result of the “Lavalee protocol,” which was activated in Massachusetts earlier this year due to the work stoppage.

Public defenders initiated their work stoppage in May, hoping to pressure lawmakers to increase their pay and bring it in line with what public defenders make in nearby states. These public defenders are known as bar advocates. They work as private contractors and usually handle about 80% of the cases concerning poor criminal defendants in the state. The other 20% are handled by lawyers from the state Committee for Public Counsel Services.

When bar advocates in Middlesex and Suffolk counties began declining cases, CPSC lawyers were overwhelmed. The organization has been working to get bar advocates the raises they are looking for so that they return to work. Unlike union negotiations, there is no binding process that would immediately force all the bar advocates to begin taking cases again. Instead, they will need to be persuaded.

The state Legislature approved a modest pay increase for the bar advocates in August. This has lessened the crisis somewhat, but some 900 people were still without representation earlier this month, according to the CPCS. The state’s highest court is currently debating whether it should exert power over the Legislature to further increase the wages of bar advocates.

In the meantime, a single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court implemented the “Levalee protocol,” which was established the last time bar advocates engaged in a work stoppage. Under this protocol, people without attorneys are ordered to be released after being held for more than seven days. Defendants that go 45 days without a lawyer have their cases dismissed without prejudice. This is what happened in Robinson’s dangerous weapon case, according to court records.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was asked about Robinson Tuesday during an appearance on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” Wu said she did not know the details of Robinson’s case and said she would look into it.

“Important steps” have come recently and offered “some relief” to the work stoppage, Wu said. She hopes this continues to hold and said that CPCS should receive more funding from the Legislature.

“At the local level, it is very difficult when parts of our justice system or our legal system are not functioning,” she said. “When that next step in accountability doesn’t happen, it kind of starts to unravel everything else.”