Testimony continues in the Boston murder trial of Michael P. McCarthy. He’s accused of killing a two-year-old girl first known only as “Baby Doe.” The girl, later identified as Bella Bond, washed up on the shore of an island in Boston Harbor on June 25, 2015.
On Thursday, the jury heard the details of a police interview with the defendant. During the interview, the defendant claimed not to know Bella Bond was dead and described the girl’s mother, Rachelle Bond, as a good mother. Despite this, McCarthy claimed during the interview that Rachelle Bond told him that social services workers had taken Bella away.
The jury also learned about the discovery of a duffel bag and weights in the water where prosecutors claim McCarthy threw Bella into the water when he disposed of her body. However, it was unclear how long they had been in the water or who put them there. The defense contends that this evidence does not point to McCarthy. Prosecutors claim similar weights were discovered in a shop opened by McCarthy’s father.
A detective also testified about McCarthy’s cell phone searches for “satanic human sacrifice” and demons. Prosecutors allege McCarthy’s obsession with the occult drove him to murder Bella Bond.
The defense has argued that Rachelle Bond is the real killer and that she lied on the witness stand to cover up her own involvement in the case. She made a deal with prosecutors to receive a punishment of time served before this trial and probation in exchange for her testimony about her daughter’s death. She was originally charged with being an accessory after the fact to her daughter’s murder and for cashing social services checks earmarked for Bella after the girl was dead. She could be tried, however, if prosecutors believe her testimony was not truthful.
The jury will likely get the case around the middle of next week.
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