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Chris Markey started his legal career as a prosecutor.
Before he was elected as a state representative in 2011, he tried cases of murder, rape, and child abuse in Bristol County as an assistant district attorney. Now, Markey is leaving the Statehouse in hopes of returning to the district attorney’s office, and this time, he wants the top job.
Markey is running for Bristol County District Attorney in this fall’s election. He announced his candidacy this winter, not long after incumbent Thomas Quinn III said he would not seek a fourth term.
“I’ve always thought about it, but when Tom said he wasn’t going to run again, it was an easy decision,” Markey said in an interview with The Light.
Markey’s campaign emphasizes his experience in high-profile trials during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The candidate says he would take steps to divert mentally ill defendants away from the criminal justice system, provide better training for prosecutors, and sharpen the office’s use of technology to collect evidence.
His proposals aim to keep good cases moving and divert unnecessary cases sooner. They’re specific, not systemic. He has praised Quinn, whom he tried cases with when they were assistant district attorneys. Both are Democrats.
The other candidate is former Fall River City Administrator Seth Aitken, who has also served as a Bristol County assistant prosecutor. Aitken is the first Republican to run for the historically uncompetitive seat since 1974. His campaign calls for better staffing in the lower District Court where most cases are tried, more transparency, and investigation of what he described as widespread “public corruption and waste” in local governments.
Markey held a senior role as second assistant district attorney when he left the Bristol County office in 2007. That’s when Sam Sutter took the top prosecutor role and replaced many of the staff — Markey says he resigned because he thought he would be removed. He has practiced criminal and civil law since then.
The Democrat has also served as the state representative for the 9th Bristol district, covering Dartmouth and parts of New Bedford’s North End, since 2011. His district attorney campaign means he won’t seek reelection for the Statehouse seat.
Markey, 58, who lives in Dartmouth, is the son of the late former New Bedford Mayor Jack Markey. He and his wife have four children, ages 21 to 27. With so many young adults in the family at various stages in their education, Markey joked that he now measures time not in years but in tuition payments — he’s now made 30.
Markey’s ideas
Markey says he would add a forensic psychologist to the district attorney’s staff. This person would interview defendants who may have mental health issues and connect them with resources to divert them away from the criminal justice system, if appropriate.
The psychologist would not counsel victims, but could refer them to other reputable counselors. They could also train prosecutors on handling cases involving mental health issues and offer advice when these issues are affecting a case, Markey said.
The county already has specialized courts that handle cases involving mental health and addiction. These courts are “well-intentioned,” Markey said, but he’s frustrated by how long cases take to get there. The forensic psychologist, he said, would allow prosecutors to divert those defendants to mental health resources sooner.
“I don’t want to get those people stuck in a bureaucracy,” he said. “Their life is difficult as it is.”
Forensic psychologists already work in the criminal justice system as expert witnesses, consultants, and court employees who assess defendants’ fitness for trial. But Markey’s idea to embed one in the district attorney’s office appears to be novel. He said he didn’t know of other prosecutors anywhere in the country who had done this. The Light was unable to find an example.
Markey says he would add a “digital forensics lab” in every district court, which would allow prosecutors to download evidence from victims’ phones, such as videos and text messages. This would make evidence collection more efficient and easier for victims to share important information with prosecutors, Markey said. Under the current system, he said, victims may have to go to another location or schedule a separate appointment with a detective.
The candidate says the office needs to be more tech-savvy, pointing out that cryptocurrency is being used to commit crimes nowadays. Bristol County prosecutors are already great at using surveillance camera footage to solve cases, he said.
Another tech improvement Markey would make is creating a computer system that automatically sends reminders to victims and witnesses about upcoming court dates.
Artificial intelligence is not a major part of his plans. He said prosecutors should not be using it to sort through evidence or make arguments.
Markey said he would provide more training to help prosecutors keep cases moving and secure convictions. While Aitken, the Republican candidate, has called for hiring more prosecutors to handle the large caseload in District Court, Markey said that’s not necessary — it’s not about the number of staff, he said, but about “passion and work ethic.”
Candidate reacts to recent law enforcement scandals
Markey said he was concerned by last year’s Boston Globe Spotlight investigation, which found New Bedford police officers abused the confidential informant system they use to investigate organized crime.
“It’s disappointing,” he said.
The candidate said police are generally presumed to be telling the truth in criminal cases. He invoked the famous Ronald Reagan quote, saying prosecutors should “trust but verify.”
Markey also shared his thoughts on the case of Anthony Harden, a man shot to death in his home by Fall River police in 2021. Harden’s brother, Eric Mack, has battled the district attorney’s office for years to get more information on what happened and who was responsible.
The district attorney’s office was fined in 2023 for improperly withholding records, The Public’s Radio reported at the time. And in 2024, the state’s highest court sided with Mack when it ruled that the office could not use a privacy exemption in the state’s public records law to withhold the names of police officers investigated for misconduct.
Markey said prosecutors could investigate officer-involved shootings by using “inquests,” closed-door court proceedings that allow access for the families of victims — unlike the current investigative process, which happens entirely inside the district attorney’s office.
The candidate declined to share his reaction to an alleged affair between a New Bedford District Court judge and Bristol County prosecutor, saying he didn’t want to pass judgment based on “rumors.” In May, the state’s highest court appointed a special master to conduct a confidential investigation, which is still open.
Markey leans on trial experience
Markey said he loves being a prosecutor. He touts his convictions in high-profile trials for rape, child abuse, and murder.
“I don’t think there’s a better job in public service than assistant district attorney or district attorney,” he said.
He first joined the district attorney’s office as a victim witness advocate in 1990, working full-time while he went to law school at night at Southern New England School of Law, which is now the law school at UMass Dartmouth. He was hired as an assistant district attorney in District Court when he got his law degree in 1994. He started prosecuting lower crimes in District Court, then later was assigned to Superior Court, where serious felonies are tried.
It’s that time in Superior Court that Markey emphasizes when he talks about his trial experience.
In his interview with The Light, he noted that he was on the prosecution teams that convicted teenager Karter Reed of second-degree murder for a fatal stabbing at Dartmouth High School in 1993, and James Kater for kidnapping and killing a 15-year-old girl in 1978.
On his office wall hangs a Taunton Sun Chronicle clip from 2000: “‘Predator’ sentenced to life term.” John Durakowski was found guilty of an attempted rape in Attleboro, after previous sexual assaults in Holyoke and Reno, Nevada.
When Markey told a Light reporter about his most memorable cases, he made note of the timelines — convictions came as quickly as seven or eight months after the cases began, which is relatively fast. Court guidelines say felonies generally should be resolved within six months to a year (depending on severity), but the latest court metrics show that less than a fourth of cases actually end on schedule in Massachusetts.
That speed is important for victims, Markey said.
“They’ve got this shit hanging over their head,” he said. “They want a resolution.”
Markey’s eyes filled with tears as he remembered a particular rape trial. He recalled that a woman reported being raped by her ex-boyfriend when he was picking up his belongings from her apartment. Other prosecutors said it would be a tough case to win.
“She had a compelling story,” Markey said. “I totally believed her.”
As the candidate recalled, the woman’s father came to the district attorney’s office after the guilty verdict and choked up as he thanked Markey. “You’re the only one who believed my daughter,” Markey recalled the father saying.
Email Grace Ferguson at gferguson@newbedfordlight.org
Will he cooperate with ICE?
SAY NO TO CAREER POLITICIANS goes for all state, city, and town elected positions. Make New Bedford and Bristol County a better place to live for the future.
If you are referring to Mr. Markey, what, specifically about his record do you object to? What, specifically, do you want to see in a candidate for this position? That would contribute more to the discussion than the broad brush approach you are using here.
I’d like to see Sam Sutter run again! He was the best District Attorney that Bristol County ever had!!
There is this:
https://www.mass.gov/settlement/in-the-matter-of-c-samuel-sutter
We can only hope! I was speaking with him a few weeks back and hopefully he does!
Thanks for the three-sentence bio on the Republican opponent. Fair and balanced reporting.
It doesn’t claim to be a “meet the candidates” article, so I’m not sure there was any obligation to mention him at all.
See.
https://newbedfordlight.org/bristol-county-district-attorneys-race-off-to-an-early-start/
No mention of the dems.
We have not had a rep DA for 45 years.
Sherriff Tom got rejected for his ICE/MAGA persona.
My observation, he appeared to spend more time with his legal practice than he did as a Representative. Very little individual legislative proposals, was lock step with his party on everything else! As a DA, his activity in his legal practice would end, so that’s being optimistic!
So he has been coasting for 15 years waiting for his dream job. When you look at his voting record for just the past few years he has been right in step with Maura Healey, supporting all her failed policies, now that shouldn’t sound to good to anyone (just look at your utility bill $ $ $ $ $).