Marathon bomber boat held for evidence?

[micky]

ABC News reports that several people have sent contributions to the
owner of the boat in which one of the alleged marathon bombers hid, to
replace his boat, damaged by gunfire (by the police? or the allegee?)

One of those, who sent $1000, is 38 and a personal injury lawyer from
Florida, it says. He predicts the boat will be held as evidence for
some time.

!! I don't believe this. Are they going to trailer it down to the
police property yard and keep it there? Or will they keep it in the
guy's driveway, where it is now? If the bomber had hidden in the
guy's house, would the police hold the house for evidence? Would they
tow it down to the property yard, or would they leave it where it was?

Could the owner still live in the house, and sail the boat?

[Mark A]

When the guy gets his boat back, even (and especially) if it has holes in it,
he can probably sell it for a bundle of money.

[John F. Carr]

Also in Massachusetts, a man murdered his wife in a rented house.
Police declared the house a crime scene and sealed it off for some
months. The landlord was out of luck. Newspaper stories at the
time said the house could be in police custody until trial.
(Killer's name was Neil Entwistle, town was Hopkinton.)

If the house had been released the defense attorney had room to go
wild with speculation. Could those have been size 12 1/2 shoeprints
when the defendant wears a size 12? Did police fail to check under
the floorboards where the real killer may have hid? With the house
secured and available to the parties many such allegations can be
checked.

The only substantial issue on appeal was whether police had a legal
reason to search the house in the first place.

--
John Carr (j...@mit.edu)