The female victim was young when she was forcibly raped by a big, athletic - but maniacal - attacker. I took over the case as police investigator and prosecutor.
The victim was fearful of the defendant and the entire court proceedings. She openly expressed her thoughts to me as the case progressed.
The victim happened to be a basketball player, and Larry Bird had already established himself as a superstar in Boston. That was my key.
I explained my total respect for Bird, and stressed his work ethic, mental fortitude, dedication to the task at hand - and his ability to fight back from adversity. I further explained that I considered her attacker to be a dangerous individual that needed to pay for his actions - and hopefully to be removed from society, at least for a period of time, for the safety of the public.
It worked. This young lady was on her game the rest of the way. Her testimony was solid, and she never backed down. The defendant was found guilty and sentenced to prison, and he would carry the tag of "sexual offender" forever.
After release from prison, the attacker was charged, and convicted, of kidnapping his parents, and he became a "person of interest' in a brutal murder. He was, in fact, a dangerous individual.
Larry Bird will never know of the part he played in this entire saga, but it was critical. Bird's stardom - the manner in which he conducted himself in life and sports - and the fact that the victim loved the game, and Larry, made all the difference.
Too bad Hynes ever got out.
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