Awaiting death sentence in Dedham Jail, Ali Osman regains freedom
This Day in Norwood History – Jury Convicts Ahneed Osman in Christmas Day Murder of Nellie Keras; Ali Osman Acquitted
May 18, 1933 — After a tense and closely watched trial in Dedham Superior Court, the jury hearing the cases of Ahneed Osman and Ali Osman, charged with the murder of 9‑year‑old Nellie Keras of Norwood, returned its verdicts this afternoon: guilty against Ahneed, and not guilty for Ali.
The jury received the case at 11 a.m., recessed for lunch at 1 p.m., resumed deliberations at 2 p.m., and delivered its decisions at 3:30 p.m., ending one of the most disturbing and widely followed criminal cases in Norfolk County in years.
Ali Osman Released Immediately
Upon hearing the verdict, Judge Harold P. Williams ordered the immediate release of Ali Osman. After collecting his personal belongings at the Dedham Jail, Ali left the courthouse in the company of friends.
Ahneed Osman, however, was returned to the Dedham Jail, where he will remain until formal sentencing. Under Massachusetts law at the time, a conviction for first‑degree murder carried a mandatory death sentence.
Neither of the defense attorneys—John M. Boyle for Ahneed, and Winfield S. Patterson for Ali—were present in the courtroom when the verdicts were announced.
Conflicting Testimony Between the Defendants
Throughout the trial, each defendant accused the other of responsibility for the child’s death.
Ahneed testified that on Christmas Day he and Ali had been having a small gathering at his Norwood apartment, located directly above the Keras family. He claimed that he left briefly to buy cigarettes at a nearby drugstore. When he returned, he said, he found:
- the child’s body on the living‑room floor
- Ali asleep on a bed
Ahneed further testified that Ali later confessed to the killing, and that together they carried the body to the cellar and concealed it beneath a pile of wood.
Ali, in turn, denied all accusations and insisted that Ahneed was the one responsible.
The jury’s split verdict indicates that they found Ahneed’s account unconvincing and Ali’s defense sufficient to raise reasonable doubt.
A Community Still Shaken
The murder of young Nellie Keras, discovered the day after Christmas, shocked Norwood and surrounding towns. The trial drew heavy public interest, with spectators filling the courtroom daily. The verdict brings a measure of legal closure, though the emotional impact on the community remains profound.
Original story posted in The Boston Globe
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(All articles were originally published in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)
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