Report: Stephen Rakes Death Ruled Homicide

According to Kathy Curran of WCVB, sources are saying the official cause of death of Steven Rakes, a witness in the Whitey Bulger trial, was acute cyanide toxicity by manner of homicide.

Curran tweeted cyanide was found in Rakes' blood and gastric contents.

The Middlesex District Attorney's office is charging former Sudbury resident William Camuti in connection with Rakes' death.

Camuti, 69, was originally charged with attempted murder, misleading police, and unlawful disposition of human remains. There was no word late Thursday whether the attempted murder charge was increased to murder.

The body of Rakes, 59, was discovered at 1:30 p.m. on July 17 in a wooded area off Mill Street in Lincoln.

Since his arrest, Camuti has been evicted from his apartment at the Musketahquid Village on Hudson Road, Sudbury Police Chief Scott Nix said.

Prior to his arrest in the Rakes case, Camuti attempted suicide in his apartment and was taken to Bridgewater State Hospital.

Officials have said Camuti poisoned Rakes over a bad buisness deal.

Camuti was scheduled to be arraigned at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on Oct. 16, but the arraignment was delayed due to medical reasons.

The DA's office would not say what the medical reason was.

This isn't Camuti's first brush with the law. According to caselaw.findlaw.com, in a jury trial beginning in September 1993, Camuti was tried on 13 counts of mail fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud investors by obtaining their funds through false representations. He was living on Audubon Road in Wellesleyat the time.