Medford man charged with multiple sexual assaults on elderly woman

BOSTON, August 28, 2024 – A Medford man has been ordered held on $7,500 bail and other release conditions after being charged last week with multiple sexual assaults on an 88-year-old dementia-impaired Chelsea woman who the man regularly drove to an elder care facility, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

All of the assaults were captured on Ring camera surveillance video, Hayden said.

EDWIN LAM, 66, was charged in Chelsea District Court on August 19 with eight counts of indecent assault and battery on a +60/disabled person.  Judge Jane Prince set bail at $7,500 and ordered Lam to stay away from the victim’s home, surrender his passport, not engage in ride share employment, remain in Massachusetts and wear a GPS device with an exclusion zone around the victim’s home.

Lam will return to court October 17 for a probable cause hearing.

Surveillance video from the victim’s home shows Lam assaulting the woman eight times between May 20 and July 11.  The videos show Lam, who drove for Joyful Living Center Adult Day Health in Charlestown, touching the victim’s breasts and groin area.  The videos also show Lam grabbing the victim’s hand and placing it on his crotch.

A relative of the victim looked at the Ring footage after noticing the victim crying.  The relative contacted Chelsea police, who then secured the video documenting the eight assaults and obtained a summons for Lam.

Hayden praised the relative and Chelsea police and pointed out the importance that the video evidence will have in the case.

“We live in an era of widespread commercial and domestic video surveillance, which when used judiciously and appropriately can be a tremendous asset to investigators.  But even the best surveillance must be noticed and then brought to the attention of diligent investigators.  Fortunately, both of those factors happened here. And it’s particularly fortunate because this is a case where the victim was unable to communicate what was happening to her,” Hayden said. 

The victims of any crime, including domestic or sexual violence, should call 911 in an emergency.  SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020.  SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24/7 in English, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601.  It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages. RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country, can be reached at 800-656-4673.

Help is also available for members of our LGBTQ+ community experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence through The Network/La Red by calling 617-742-4911 or 800-832-1901. 

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.

 James Borghesani, Chief of Communications