Michael McCarthy, the man accused of killing Dorchester toddler Bella Bond and then dumping her body in the ocean, was held without bail Monday at Suffolk County Superior Court after he pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with first-degree murder.
Michael P. McCarthy
McCarthy, 35, was the boyfriend of Bella Bond’s mother, Rachelle Bond. He reportedly lived with Rachelle and Bella in Dorchester when, in late May or early June, he allegedly killed the toddler, then wrapped her up in a tarp and dumped her in the harbor in South Boston.
Bella’s body washed ashore on Deer Island at the end of June. Around the country, Bella became known as “Baby Doe” after investigators released a realistic computer-generated image of the girl, asking anyone with information to come forward and identify her.
In September, after a friend of Rachelle Bond’s tipped off authorities, and Bond and McCarthy were taken into custody. Bond was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court earlier this week. She is charged with being an accessory after the fact, as she allegedly helped McCarthy transport and dump her daughter’s body.
Bond told investigators that Bella was crying in her room one night when McCarthy said he would quiet her. Bond alleges she walked in on McCarthy punching Bella in the stomach, and seeing the toddler’s face swollen and gray.
In court Monday, McCarthy’s lawyer suggested that Rachelle killed Bella, and lied to prosecutors. According to the Boston Globe:
Shapiro said an autopsy of the girl, who became known worldwide as “Baby Doe,” showed no signs of trauma or broken bones. That, he said, contradicts prosecutors’ allegations — and Bond’s own account — of how McCarthy repeatedly struck the child’s midsection until her face was swollen and gray.
“There’s no forensic evidence and no DNA evidence” to link McCarthy to the crime, Shapiro said. “[Rachelle Bond] is far more likely to have killed Bella.”
McCarthy is due back in court on Feb. 16.
