Nantucket murder conviction of Thomas Toolan reaffirmed by Mass. Supreme Judicial Court
Asad Jung
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the murder conviction of Thomas Toolan on Sept. 23, according to a press release from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office.
Toolan was convicted of the 2004 murder of Elizabeth Lochtefeld on Nantucket. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Toolan, a Wall Street bank executive, met Lochtefeld, a former New York City consultant who had moved to Nantucket, on Labor Day weekend on Nantucket in 2004. They started dating, though Lochtefeld broke off the relationship due to Toolan’s drinking problem.
A few days after the breakup in October 2004, Toolan flew to Nantucket, where he rented a car and bought knives. He drove to Lochtefeld’s home and stabbed her 23 times, authorities alleged. He was later caught in Rhode Island by authorities, according to the release.
More:Toolan again found guilty of '04 murder
More:Doctor: Toolan knew right from wrong
Toolan was tried two separate times for murder, being found guilty both times. He was first convicted in Nantucket Superior Court in 2007. Since all first-degree murders are automatically appealed, the Supreme Judicial Court overturned the conviction in 2011, and Toolan was tried again in 2013 in Barnstable Superior Court, where he was again found guilty.
More:Defense doesn't deny Toolan is killer
He then appealed the second conviction to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Lochtefeld’s murder has been covered by several documentary TV shows, including Dateline NBC and “Sins & Secrets.”