Massachusetts Man Faces Attempted Murder Case After Fight Over Lake Access Leads to Drowning Attempt
A Massachusetts man accused of holding a 21-year-old underwater during a fight at a town lake has been indicted on attempted murder and suffocation charges, moving the months-old case into Superior Court.
Steven Dana, 70, was arrested after the June 3 confrontation at Sandy Beach in Hopkinton, where a GoPro captured an argument over access to Lake Maspenock escalating into a physical fight.
The video became central to the case. Police said it showed Dana striking Matthew Duffy before the two ended up in the water, where Dana was recorded holding Duffy underwater until other people intervened.
Now a Middlesex County grand jury has reviewed the footage and returned indictments. Court records obtained by the Hopkinton Independent show Dana was indicted on attempted murder, strangulation or suffocation, and misdemeanor assault and battery.
Into The Water
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The confrontation began shortly before 7 p.m. at Sandy Beach on Lakeshore Drive.
Hopkinton Police said Dana confronted Duffy over his use of Lake Maspenock. During the summer season, the boat ramp on Lakeshore Drive is restricted to Hopkinton residents.
Police reviewed footage showing Dana slap Duffy before the confrontation moved into the water.
Court documents later provided more detail about the exchange. According to the police account quoted by the Hopkinton Independent, Dana had been telling Duffy’s group that it was time to leave as the two sides exchanged words.
The recording showed Dana and Duffy confronting one another at close range before Dana struck him. The fight continued downhill and into the water.
Police said the video then showed Dana forcefully holding Duffy underwater. Other people with Duffy pulled Dana away.
Duffy had been using crutches at the time while recovering from serious injuries suffered in an earlier motorcycle crash.
Neither man was transported to a hospital after the confrontation.
The First Charges
Police arrested Dana at his nearby home later that evening.
He initially faced attempted murder, strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery on a person with a disability. Police originally announced two suffocation counts before the charges were clarified in court.
Dana pleaded not guilty in Framingham District Court.
During a June dangerousness hearing, prosecutors argued that the recorded confrontation showed Dana escalating the dispute despite Duffy’s physical condition.
Dana’s attorney, David Grimaldi, challenged that interpretation of the video and argued that another angle gave additional context to what happened.
A judge ultimately allowed Dana to be released on $7,500 cash bail, with conditions that included staying away from Sandy Beach and having no contact with Duffy or other witnesses.
A New Court
The case changed again at the end of September when a Middlesex County grand jury returned indictments.
The grand jury kept the attempted murder and strangulation or suffocation charges that had been brought after Dana’s arrest.
The third count, however, changed.
Rather than indict Dana on the felony charge of assault and battery on a person with a disability, the grand jury returned a misdemeanor assault and battery indictment, according to the Hopkinton Independent, which reported receiving the indictments from Middlesex Superior Court. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office also confirmed that Dana had been indicted.
That distinction is important because some subsequent reports continued to describe Dana using the original June charge involving a disabled person.
The indictment moves the prosecution from Framingham District Court to Middlesex Superior Court.
Before The Jury
Duffy was among the witnesses who appeared before the grand jury.
He told NBC10 Boston that jurors watched the video and asked him several questions, including whether he had been able to breathe while underwater.
Duffy said he could not.
The footage has remained one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case since the night Dana was arrested. Police relied on it when reconstructing the confrontation, while Dana’s defense has previously argued that the recording should be viewed in fuller context.
Dana’s Superior Court arraignment had not yet been scheduled as of the latest reporting. He has pleaded not guilty.
