Springfield man convicted of deadly stabbing denied new trial

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The state’s highest court has upheld the conviction of a Springfield man convicted of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death nearly a decade ago.

Kathryn Mauke, who was 17 years old at the time, was stabbed 32 times inside her Prentice Street home in February 2015. Her ex-boyfriend, Nickolas Lacrosse, was arrested shortly after.

He was found guilty of first-degree murder back in 2018. Lacrosse appealed his first-degree murder conviction, arguing he was denied a fair trial. The state’s highest court rejected his request for a new trial and upheld his sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni stated, “My thoughts and sympathy continue to be with Kate’s family and friends as they deal with the indelible grief of this tragic loss. In the years since Kate’s tragic passing, I have been privileged to get to know her family and witness their extraordinary strength through the work they do to honor Kate’s life and raise awareness around dating violence.” District Attorney Gulluni went on to say, “Since Kate’s death in 2015, my office and the Springfield Police Department sought justice in the form of a conviction and life sentence for the perpetrator of this most atrocious and cowardly murder. Since his conviction, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has modified his sentence, and others who were “young adults” at the time of the crime, to allow eligibility for parole. Along with many families of homicide across this Commonwealth, I am saddened and frustrated by this decision and how it reconsiders the justice rendered and affords mercy for those who showed none for the victims of their brutal crimes.”

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