NORTHAMPTON — There’s a certain weight to the silence in a courtroom when a trial finally hits its stride, or maybe that’s just how it feels after twenty-four years on the job. Steven Gagne, the First Assistant Northwestern District Attorney, has spent the better part of his life chasing down evidence and standing before juries. Last month, he was pulled into the spotlight at the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association conference in Boston, receiving the William C. O’Malley Prosecutor of the Year Award. It’s a big deal in the legal world, really, the kind of honor that makes you stop and wonder where the time went.
“I’ve seen this award given out to folks that I always considered to be somewhat of legends within the profession,” Gagne mentioned during a conversation with Misryoum. It’s funny, he said, because he doesn’t feel like the rookie he was back in Bristol County in 2002. He’s been in the Northwestern office since 2011, handling some of the most gut-wrenching, complex murder cases you can imagine.
Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan didn’t hold back on the praise, highlighting Gagne’s tenacity and his role as a mentor. It’s a career built on hundreds of trials—not just the headlines, but the quiet, grinding work that happens behind the scenes.
One case, in particular, kept coming up: the Cara Rintala prosecution. It went through four different trials, a literal marathon of perseverance that finally ended in 2023. Gagne said it wasn’t just about the conviction; it was about the victim’s family who had to endure that cycle for over a decade. “That was just a testament to the type of perseverance that this job requires,” he said, his voice trailing off slightly. He’s not planning on hanging up his hat anytime soon, though. He says he’s got plenty of miles left in the tank.
But it wasn’t just Gagne getting the hardware in Boston. Alexa Pascucci, an Assistant District Attorney here, walked away with the Spotlight Award. She’s been heading up the Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown since 2022 and has made a real name for herself—not just by prosecuting, but by building things. She basically designed the office’s Adult Diversion Program from the ground up, trying to keep young people from getting stuck in the system permanently.
It’s a different kind of justice, really. Pascucci is known for balancing the hard, cold reality of accountability with a bit of foresight. Gagne put it simply: she knows when to push and when to offer a path forward. It’s rare to see that level of pragmatism in a system that usually thrives on being rigid.
Anyway, it’s a good moment for the local office. Awards aren’t everything, sure, but they are a reminder that the work goes on, even when the cameras are off and the courthouse is finally quiet.