A man accused in the death of a toddler dubbed “Baby Doe” after her tiny body washed up on a Boston Harbor beach seven months ago pleaded not guilty to murder Monday.
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Michael McCarthy is set to be arraigned on a murder charge in the death of Bella Bond.
During Rachelle Bond’s arraignment Wednesday, prosecutors said Bond claimed McCarthy threatened to kill her if she said anything about Bella’s murder.
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. She has said she watched McCarthy violently strike and kill her daughter, and her lawyers accuse McCarthy of wielding psychological control over her.
McCarthy is due back in court February 16.
“The Commonwealth’s case against Mr. McCarthy is incredibly weak”, said his lawyer, Jonathan Shapiro. “She really loved her daughter, and every witness that we’ve spoken to has said that she was a good mother”, Bassil said.
Rachelle Bond has said that when she went inside the bedroom after hearing silence, she saw McCarthy moving his arms rapidly around the area of Bella’s mid-section.
David Deakin, an assistant district attorney, said Bond told investigators that McCarthy said he would kill her or have her killed if she told anyone what she had seen on the night Bella died.
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McCarthy then allegedly stuffed the toddler’s body into a garbage bag and placed it in a refrigerator for days before the couple drove to the South Boston waterfront and attempted to dump the body. 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. But it would take until September, after an intense search for her identity, to discover who she really was. That friend told his sister, who called Boston police.
