Attorney for arsonist had legal problems of his own

During the pre-dawn hours of July 4, 1984, a deadly fire engulfed the Elliot Chambers Rooming House in Beverly, leaving 15 dead in its wake.

News of the fire made national headlines — the death toll having been the state’s highest due to fire — and some of the dead were de-institutionalized psychiatric patients. Nearly four years passed before a secret indictment was handed down against an alleged arsonist and murderer.

The fire, traced to newspapers in the front alcove of the rooming house, began at about 4 a.m. and spread through the structure, which lacked sprinklers. Beverly firefighters arrived to find people hanging out windows. Firefighters from surrounding communities helped extinguish the blaze.

While onlookers gazed at the smoldering scene at the corner of Rantoul and Elliot streets, local residents launched an effort to collect clothing and items for the survivors. A temporary morgue was set up for families to identify loved ones.

Among the dead were Richard Nickerson 21, and his 9-year-old brother Ralph; the older Nickerson would later figure importantly in the case.

Days later, the mayor of Beverly announced that the fire was the work of an arsonist. He ordered that city flags be flown at half-mast.

In 1988, an indictment was handed down against James B. Carver. After he was picked from a lineup at the police station in Danvers, the alleged arsonist and murderer was arrested in his hometown of Ipswich.

Prosecutors claimed that Carver acted in a fit of jealousy, igniting the fire at the Elliot Chambers Rooming House because a former girlfriend of Carver was dating Nickerson. Defense attorney Dennis Jackson questioned why it took so long for prosecutors to secure an indictment.

Two witnesses could not identify Carver as the man they saw near the rooming house just before the fire. A friend testified that Carver confessed his guilt to her but did not mean to hurt anyone. Roger and Gail Carver, meanwhile, insisted their son was home sleeping during the fire.

After only 10 hours of deliberation, a jury found Carver guilty of 15 counts of second-degree murder and one count of arson. He was given two consecutive life sentences, which were appealed unsuccessfully.

Following the criminal trial, lawyer Dennis Jackson was arrested for operating under the influence of cocaine. Roger Carver brought a claim against Jackson, stating that the attorney used intended defense money on drugs. Carver also offered an affidavit that accused Jackson of having sex with Carver’s former daughter-in-law, Mary Carver, during the trial.

The Clients’ Security Board denied Carver’s claim. Currently, the status of Jackson is listed with the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers as “suspended.”

The infamous fire has spurred reform legislation dealing with housing initiatives and requirements governing sprinkler systems.
Carver’s father reports that his son — who remains incarcerated at M.C.I. Shirley — continues to claim his innocence and is now represented by Boston attorney Dana A. Curhan.

But, for one individual who vividly remembers the fire, it is neither James Carver nor legislation that comes to mind these days.

“The worst part about the fire was the kid dying; it was a terrible, terrible thing,” retired firefighter Richard Cotraro recalls, referring to the death of young Ralph Nickerson. {EXA}

Michael Conway is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at mjcon6@msn.com.