Brian MacDonald | Homicide Watch Boston

Brian MacDonald sentenced to 7-10 years for Anthony Spaulding's death

Isaac Feldberg — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 01:31:04 -0500

Brian MacDonald was sentenced to seven to 10 years in prison Thursday, after he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of a 21-year-old college student outside a party at the victim's Allston home.

Anthony Spaulding was stabbed to death in a fight over excessive noise and spilled champagne in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2013, during a New Year's Eve party at his house on 48 Pratt Street. MacDonald, an uninvited guest at the party, was originally charged with second-degree murder, but jurors returned with a guilty verdict for voluntary manslaughter, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

"You didn't just murder Tony, my best friend, that night," Ariana Taylor, Spaulding's girlfriend, told MacDonald in a victim impact statement. "You murdered me, too."

Taylor, fighting back tears, recounted how Spaulding whole-heartedly supported her as she chose to study design at a college across the country and made a lengthy commute to pick her up from the airport each and every time she came home to visit.

In the months since Spaulding's death, Taylor has mourned not only the death of her boyfriend but the loss of an entire future. "Because of you, I'll never get to marry the man I loved," she told MacDonald. "I'll never be able to have children with him."

Many in the audience wept openly and nodded in approval throughout her statement. "Do you know what it feels like to be dead on the inside?" Taylor asked MacDonald, who sat stone-faced.

Connor Brown, Spaulding's friend, told the court how the pair had bonded over their love of music while Brown was taking classes at the New England Institute of Art. The last thing he remembers his friend saying to him on the night of his death was, "Happy New Year," delivered with Spaulding's trademark grin.

"I now look at you with disgust," Brown told MacDonald, saying that they welcomed MacDonald into their home that night. "You left me with depression and nightmares," he said.

Brown told the court that he had begun learning to play guitar, in hopes of one day playing alongside Spaulding, an avid drummer. "I lost my favorite drummer," he told the court through tears as he held up a photograph of Spaulding at his drum kit.

Cate Van Gelder, Spaulding's sister, described her brother as "selfless, loving, brilliant and a million other things that I'll never be." She aches, she said, that he was not present for her wedding to walk her down the aisle, and that he won't get to see Van Gelder's first child. "He won't be there for things I can't predict but will certainly need him all the more for," she said.

Van Gelder vowed not to preserve MacDonald in her memory. "We will leave here, and we will live, and we will love," she told him, "and we will not think of you."

Finally, Spaulding's mother Chris addressed the court, displaying pictures of her son and their family on a projector screen. Her voice wavering, she said, "I'd give anything just for five minutes just to talk to him again."

She looked out at the courtroom's gallery, packed with Spaulding's friends and family, including some of the young men and women who were with her son in his final moments. "I want to thank the boys who were there when he died," she said. "I'll love those boys forever."

Of MacDonald, she said: "Put him in jail for a very long time."

Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of 20 years, citing the "the vicious, violent, senseless actions of the defendant." What MacDonald did "was horrific," Assistant District Attorney Julie Higgins said.

MacDonald's attorney, Thomas Hoopes, asked Judge Janet Sanders to "be as merciful" as possible. "This is a life worth salvaging and saving," he said.

"I have enormous sympathy" for Spaulding and his family and friends, Sanders said. She explained that the decision she made was an "extremely difficult one," noting that she had referred to suggestions set by the state for sentences in cases such as MacDonald's.

"I wish I could bring back Tony Spaulding," the judge said, imposing a term of seven to 10 years in hopes that the defendant, after serving his time, could work to do some good in society.

After the sentencing, MacDonald was led out of the courtroom without a sound, still in shackles, head hung and legs dragging on the ground.

In the gallery, Spaulding's family and friends wept in one another's arms, some smiling and nodding, many linking arms and holding hands as they left the courtroom behind.

Brian MacDonald guilty of voluntary manslaughter

Miharu Sugie — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 08:58:26 -0500

On the first day of deliberation, jurors found Brian MacDonald guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Anthony Spaulding. Jurors will continue deliberating on Monday to reach a verdict for Bianca Hollenbeck, MacDonald's co-defendant.

Judge Janet Sanders asked 12 jurors to review the incident during the New Year's Eve party at a 48 Pratt Street apartment two years ago. MacDonald, according to assistant district attorney Julie Higgins, was involved in a fight with Anthony Spaulding, a resident of the apartment, that eventually led to his death.

Defense attorney Tom Hoopes argued during the two-week trial that MacDonald acted in self-defense against the "48 Pratt Street Gang."

Higgins told jurors in her closing arguments on Feb. 19 that MacDonald, an uninvited guest, was warned by Spaulding for being loud outside his bedroom. Spaulding at the time was exhausted and only wanted the MacDonald and Hollenbeck to quiet down so he could go to bed and get ready for a morning shift at Staples the following day, Higgins said.

Higgins argued that MacDonald instigated the fight, which continued outside the apartment, with other partygoers following them out.

"The defense keeps to wanting to cast a dark, dark cloud on 48 Pratt Street, that everyone was against [MacDonald and Hollenbeck], but they just wanted to have a good time," Higgins said. "They didn't want to fight. They just wanted [MacDonald and Hollenbeck] to leave. But [the defendants] didn't leave."

During the fight, Hollenbeck allegedly had Spaulding in a headlock. She is charged with assault and battery. David Grimaldi, her defense attorney, argued on Thursday that his client had no choice but to stay in the "house of horror," as she was only trying to protect her boyfriend, MacDonald. It only made sense, Grimaldi argued, that the 5-foot-2 defendant would be riled up in this chaos.

After the fight was broken up, witnesses found Spaulding losing consciousness and called police.

MacDonald had minor injuries to his thumb and right index finger, as well as bruises around his eye and back pain. He walked home with Hollenbeck, leaving "a trail of blood," Hoopes said.

Spaulding had several broad abrasions on his face, hands and body; scratches on his cheek, around his eyes and right side of his neck; some knife wounds; and stab wounds on his chest area. The stab wound on his lower chest caused internal bleeding, eventually leading to his death.

It did not make sense, Higgins said, for MacDonald to use such force on Spaulding and for Hollenbeck to escalate matters, when they were given the choice to leave more than once.

"You'll know that 2013 wasn't a new beginning for Anthony Spaulding. It was an end because of this man," Higgins said as she held up a letter-size mug shot of MacDonald. "One weapon. One weapon was used that night. It was no self-defense ... And this is how he left him."

From the back of the courtroom, Spaulding's girlfriend, Ariana Taylor, broke down into sobs as Higgins showed an autopsy photo of Spaulding to the jurors.

Opening statements begin in murder trial of Brian MacDonald

Alexandra Malloy — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 16:48:44 -0500

After a long period of jury selection, opening statements and testimony started Wednesday in the case of Brian MacDonald and Bianca Hollenbeck. MacDonald is charged with second-degree murder and Hollenbeck with assault and battery after the stabbing death of 21-year-old Anthony Spaulding.

On Jan. 31, 2013, around 2 a.m., the defendants allegedly went to a New Years Eve party at Spaulding's house on 48 Pratt Street, prosecutors said. A fight between Spaulding and MacDonald erupted over noise and spilled champagne, sending the two tumbling down the stairs.

After the fight was broken up, Spaulding lay on the ground bleeding from stab wounds that hit his heart and liver. He was later pronounced dead from his injuries at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Assistant District Attorneys Julie Higgins and Tara Burdman opened the case with the argument that the fight and attack was unprovoked and Spaulding was unarmed.

Higgins claims that Spaulding was attacked after trying to apologize to Hollenbeck and MacDonald after the stairs incident. Hollenbeck then put Spaulding in a headlock and MacDonald began to attack him.

The knife was never recovered.

Defense attorney Tom Hoopes argued that mankind has always defended himself, and that is what MacDonald did as well.

Hoopes painted a picture of MacDonald and Hollenbeck trying to leave after the confrontation on the stairs and that once outside, Spaulding and his friends ganged up on MacDonald. In response to being kicked, hit and having bottles thrown at him, MacDonald had no choice but to defend himself.

David Grimaldi, who is representing Hollenbeck, called the events "tragic." He said Spaulding's girlfriend at the time was the first one to act in an aggressive manner.

Testimony will continue over the next week.

Jury Selection continues for Brian MacDonald and Bianca Hollenbeck trial

Miharu Sugie — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 09:43:09 -0500

Despite delays from the snow storm, jury selection for the 2013 murder of Anthony Spaulding continued on Jan. 29 at Suffolk Superior Court.

Brian MacDonald, a 26-year-old from Brighton, is charged with second-degree murder of 21-year-old Spaulding at an Allston party on Jan. 1, 2013. It was the first homicide of that year.

Bianca Hollenbeck, MacDonald's girlfriend at the time, is charged with assaulting Spaulding before he was allegedly stabbed to death by MacDonald. Authorities told WBUR that the physical altercation between the men started when Spaulding asked the two to quiet down. Both have pleaded innocent.

In the next two weeks, 16 of these 35 potential jurors will decide MacDonald and Hollenbeck's trial outcome. As the potential jurors silently filled out their juror cards in Courtroom 817, MacDonald, dressed in a dark suit, and Hollenbeck, who wore black-rimmed glasses, fidgeted in their seats and exchanged glances with their defense attorneys.

Following Judge Janet Sanders' questions about any hardships potential jurors may have in committing to this trial, defense attorneys Tom Hoopes and David Grimaldi questioned them one by one. Hoopes asked whether it is permissible for a person to kill another person, gauging how the potential jurors view self-defense. Grimaldi, who defends Hollenbeck, asked each potential juror if he or she can evaluate the presented evidence separately for each defendant. By the second day of jury selection, seven were empaneled.

Some potential jurors who knew the witnesses in the upcoming trial, claimed to have ADHD or did not speak English fluently, were dismissed. Others were excused because they could not commit to the entire two weeks expected for this trial.

Opening statements are expected on Feb. 2 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 817.

More information on the murder is available from Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s press release:

BOSTON, Jan. 2, 2013—A Brighton man is charged with murder for allegedly stabbing 21-year-old Anthony Spaulding to death during a New Year’s Eve party at the victim’s Allston home, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

BRIAN MacDONALD (D.O.B. 4/7/88) was arraigned on that charge today in Brighton District Court, where Assistant District Attorney Holly Broadbent recommended that he be held without bail. Judge David T. Donnelly set bail at $500,000 cash.

Broadbent told the court that Boston Police responded to Spaulding’s Pratt Street residence just before 2:45 yesterday morning for a call reporting a person stabbed. On arrival, they found Spaulding unconscious and suffering from apparent stab wounds. Spaulding was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he died a short time later.

Officers and detectives began interviewing witnesses, who told them that the victim resided at the Pratt Street scene and that the assailant and his girlfriend were guests at a party there.

Witnesses said that Spaulding exited his bedroom and told MacDonald to quiet down a short time after they arrived. This led to an almost immediate physical altercation between the two men, Broadbent said. In the course of that altercation, Spaulding and MacDonald tumbled down the stairs from the building’s second floor to the first floor.

The two men went outside, the evidence suggests, where they were the only two men at the scene. A bystander separated the two and observed blood on both of them, Broadbent told the court.

While it was not immediately clear who threw the first punch in the underlying fisticuffs, there was no evidence that Spaulding armed himself before or during the incident, prosecutors say. Witnesses did tell investigators that they had seen MacDonald with a knife at the party before the fight.

While some responding officers spoke to witnesses, others began following a blood trail that led away from the scene. Investigators soon learned MacDonald’s identity by name and appearance and found that he lived at a Washington Street address where the blood trail ended. When taken into custody by Boston Police, he had injuries to his face and hand. Surveillance imagery from a nearby camera shows him fleeing the scene on foot, Broadbent said.

Katherine Moran is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. MacDonald is represented by attorney Thomas Hoopes. He will return to court on Feb. 7.

First Alleged Murderer of 2013 Due in Court

Young Kim — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 06:10:43 -0400

A year after allegedly committing the first murder of 2013 in Boston, a Brighton man is due in court the end of January. Brian MacDonald, 25, pleaded innocent to fatally stabbing 21-year-old Anthony Spaulding at a New Year’s house party at 48 Pratt Street last year, after an argument between the two escalated into a brawl.

Spaulding was sent to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with at least five stab wounds. He was pronounced dead shortly after.

The argument began when Spaulding came out of his bedroom in the Allston apartment and told MacDonald to quiet down, according to police reports. MacDonald and his girlfriend were invited guests at the party.

A fight soon broke out between the two men. They tumbled down a stairwell and moved the brawl outside. Both men were covered in blood by the time a witness separated them.

A surveillance camera captured MacDonald's image fleeing the scene, according to the Suffolk County district attorney's office. Police also followed a trail of blood that led to his Washington street home in Brighton. MacDonald suffered a gash to his hand that required stitches.

MacDonald was arraigned and held on $500,000 bail on a second-degree murder charge.

MacDonald's lawyer says the stabbing was in self-defense. Witnesses say that Spaulding may have been the first aggressor, according to court documents. A toxicology report indicated that Spaulding had cocaine, alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time. Spaulding's medical history reveals he had bipolar disorder, which the defense believes made him more aggressive.

Released by the Suffolk County district attorney’s office on Jan. 2, 2013:

BOSTON, Jan. 2, 2013—A Brighton man is charged with murder for allegedly stabbing 21-year-old Anthony Spaulding to death during a New Year’s Eve party at the victim’s Allston home, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

BRIAN MacDONALD (D.O.B. 4/7/88) was arraigned on that charge today in Brighton District Court, where Assistant District Attorney Holly Broadbent recommended that he be held without bail. Judge David T. Donnelly set bail at $500,000 cash.

Broadbent told the court that Boston Police responded to Spaulding’s Pratt Street residence just before 2:45 yesterday morning for a call reporting a person stabbed. On arrival, they found Spaulding unconscious and suffering from apparent stab wounds. Spaulding was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he died a short time later.

Officers and detectives began interviewing witnesses, who told them that the victim resided at the Pratt Street scene and that the assailant and his girlfriend were guests at a party there.

Witnesses said that Spaulding exited his bedroom and told MacDonald to quiet down a short time after they arrived. This led to an almost immediate physical altercation between the two men, Broadbent said. In the course of that altercation, Spaulding and MacDonald tumbled down the stairs from the building’s second floor to the first floor.

The two men went outside, the evidence suggests, where they were the only two men at the scene. A bystander separated the two and observed blood on both of them, Broadbent told the court.

While it was not immediately clear who threw the first punch in the underlying fisticuffs, there was no evidence that Spaulding armed himself before or during the incident, prosecutors say. Witnesses did tell investigators that they had seen MacDonald with a knife at the party before the fight.

While some responding officers spoke to witnesses, others began following a blood trail that led away from the scene. Investigators soon learned MacDonald’s identity by name and appearance and found that he lived at a Washington Street address where the blood trail ended. When taken into custody by Boston Police, he had injuries to his face and hand. Surveillance imagery from a nearby camera shows him fleeing the scene on foot, Broadbent said.

Katherine Moran is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. MacDonald is represented by attorney Thomas Hoopes. He will return to court on Feb. 7.

A copy of MacDonald's indictment has been added below.