The Price of Fear

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

Boston Herald
The price of fear: Witness caught in web 

by Peter Gelzinis 
Tuesday, September 24, 2002

How scared was Krystal Bostick?
Scared enough to risk as much time in jail as the unholy trio charged with 
nearly killing the current pride of the Celtics, Paul Pierce. And that could 
be 20 years.

On Friday, Krystal Bostick decided to faint rather than answer any questions 
about William ``Roscoe'' Ragland, Trevor Watson and Tony Hurston - who once 
functioned as a kind of SS patrol for the rap conglomerate called ``Made 
Men.''Yesterday, this 22-year-old college junior treated a packed courtroom 
to a blatant and profoundly sad display to save one's skin. Sadder still . . 
. Krystal is a criminal justice major at Johnson & Wales in Providence.

Next to the clinical justice of the court, there is the darker - and often 
more certain - justice of the street. The former seeks to determine if one, 
two or all three defendants are guilty of mauling Paul Pierce before a throng 
of witnesses inside a downtown club.While the latter works to ensure that 
witnesses like Krystal Bostick and Regina Henderson remember nothing. Or that 
they deny their previous testimony before a grand jury. Or that they would 
calmly choose jail for perjury, rather than retribution for telling the 
truth.

Less than 10 days after Paul Pierce came within a millimeter or two of dying 
beside a pool table in the Buzz club, Krystal Bostick gave a grand jury a 
finely detailed description of the knives Roscoe Ragland and Trevor Watson 
allegedly used to cut him up. She saw it all from three feet away.The long 
blade Ragland pulled from the back of his pants had ridges, while the handle 
on Watson's knife featured built-in brass knuckles. Ragland attacked Pierce 
first, while Watson tried to take him down from behind.Two years ago, Krystal 
Bostick remembered how Roscoe Ragland quite literally basked in the spotlight 
of his bloody fury. She testified how Roscoe had ranted: ``Bleep Paul Pierce! 
Bleep him! I'm the only real man here. And I'll do it again.''
Yesterday, it was Marty Leppo, lawyer for Trevor Watson, who was only too 
eager to help Krystal Bostick say it was all a lie. When Krystal decided to 
recant her grand jury testimony, she waited eight months; then, under very 
murky circumstances, somehow found her way into Marty Leppo's office. The sly 
old lawyer, on retainer from Made Men, was waiting with a pen to take 
Krystal's ``new'' story. Makes perfect sense, don't it?
``A lot of what you told the grand jury is a lie, isn't that correct?'' Leppo 
asked yesterday with an almost paternal glee in his voice.``Yup, that's 
correct,'' Krystal chirped.

There was a wonderful irony to this pathetic charade. Even as Krystal Bostick 
was doing her best to soften the ominous edges around William ``Roscoe'' 
Ragland, this defiant hood showed why he's doing 21 years for being a career 
criminal.Ragland scowled and sneered and trained his dead eyes on just about 
everyone in the room . . . including John Swomley, lawyer for one of his 
co-defendants, Tony Hurston.`
`You take that any way you want it,'' Ragland said to Swomley, as he shuffled 
off to lunch in shackles. ``I know you gotta defend your client, but you keep 
me out of it.''
Yes, it was only too easy to imagine a guy like Roscoe making a play for 
Krystal minutes after Paul Pierce had his chest opened. Two years ago, 
Krystal recalled how Ragland motioned to her from the back seat of car in the 
midst of the post-stabbing chaos.``Yo, you just beat up Paul Pierce,'' an 
incredulous Bostick said to Ragland.``Bleep him! Bleep that nigga,'' Ragland 
replied. ``He ain't about nothin'. That's over and done with. But yo, what's 
up with us?''

Yesterday, Krystal Bostick said she made it all up. Of course you did, said 
Marty Leppo. ``You just got swept up in the moment, right?'' The girl with 
the vacant stare just nodded. The moment that caught her had its own name: 
It's called fear.