She has said she watched McCarthy violently strike and kill her daughter, and her lawyers accuse McCarthy of wielding psychological control over her.
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Bond’s lawyer, Janice Bassil, argued last week that her client was controlled by McCarthy, who threatened her into keeping quiet about Bella’s killing. “There’s no forensic evidence and no DNA evidence”.
Rachelle Bond allegedly told investigators that Michael McCarthy, who was living with her and Bella in Rachelle’s Dorchester apartment, went into Bella’s bedroom one night after the toddler wasn’t settling down for bed.
Shapiro said the child’s autopsy, which showed no signs of trauma or broken bones, contradicts Bond’s claim that she saw McCarthy violently striking the toddler’s mid-section.
McCarthy allegedly picked up some weights from his father’s plumbing business in Quincy and placed them in a duffel bag along with Bella’s body.
“Her description, on its face, is made up”, he said, adding that Rachelle Bond has a history of abusing her own children, including two who were taken away by the Department of Children and Families before the birth of Bella. Rachelle Bond is also expected to be arraigned Monday morning on larceny charges for allegedly continuing to receive public assistance even after the girl’s death.
In September, police got a break, with information leading them to McCarthy and Rachelle Bond.
Bella’s body was found washed up on Deer Island in Boston Harbor in June, and was known for months as “Baby Doe”.
McCarthy’s arraignment yesterday in Suffolk County Superior Court, attorney Jonathan Shapiro said Bella’s mother – not McCarthy, her former boyfriend – is the “far more likely” culprit.
McCarthy’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 16. She has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder and is being held on $1 million bail.
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McCarthy was charged with first-degree murder before Christmas, while Bond was charged with being an accessory after the fact to her daughter’s killing.
