Michael P. McCarthy

On June 25, 2015 two-year-old Bella Bond’s unidentified body washed up on shore in a trash bag, on deer island in Boston Harbor.

Bella was the third child of Rachelle Bond, who had a lengthy criminal history. Rachelle’s first two children had been removed from her care, but the Department of Children and Families (DCF) nevertheless deemed Rachelle fit to care for Bella.

In July, police set up a tip line, and a woman called in who told them that the washed up child was Bella, and Rachelle had been behaving in a psychotic fashion when Bella was last seen, however there was no follow-up on the tip.

In September after Bella’s father Joe confronted Rachelle, police called to question Rachelle, but she jumped out of a window and fled. She then told Joe that Michael had killed Bella, and held her hostage for four months. When Joe became upset, Rachelle said “shut the F–K up, they are on to me, you’re going to get me bagged.”

When finally questioned by police, Rachelle told yet another bizarre story claiming Michael had killed Bella and “I couldn’t call the police or anybody after that as he held me hostage and had hitmen waiting outside of my house that would shoot me if I called 911.”

In spite of the changing, bizarre and impossible stories from a woman who was apparently mentally ill, police decided to charge Michael with murder, even though there was nothing to corroborate Rachelle’s impossible story.

At trial, Rachelle’s testimony was contradicted by the Medical Examiner. In spite of the obvious credibility problem, and no independent evidence to link Michael to the crime, the jury convicted Michael of 2nd degree murder after deliberating for just over four days.

Michael Doolin, a Dorchester criminal defense attorney who followed the case closely said he was very surprised by the verdict.

Jonathan Shapiro, defense attorney, said the verdict was a travesty of justice and incomprehensible.

News report and video on the verdict:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/06/26/jurors-bella-bond-murder-trial-resume-deliberations/CNxd2oc4Mlaj2lsubYjbEO/story.html

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Alfred Trenkler

On October 28, 1991, a bomb exploded at the Roslindale home of Thomas L. Shay (“Shay Sr.”), killing one Boston police officer and severely injuring another.

The prosecution case was that Alfred Trenkler had built the bomb at the behest Shay Sr.’s son (“Shay Jr.”), who wanted to kill his father in order to cash in on an insurance policy.

In fact, it seems far more likely the bomb was related to Shay Sr.’s legal disputes, Shay Sr.  claimed his previous landlords were making threats on his life.

The case against Shay Jr. (who was convicted in a separate trial) and Trenkler was circumstantial. The government introduced a sales receipt for a toggle switch purchased in October 1991 at a Radio Shack store, however the jury never knew that the switch recovered at the scene was not a Radio Shack switch.

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Sean Ellis

A man who’s spent nearly 22 years in prison for the murder of a Boston police detective on Tuesday was granted bail, set at $50,000, by the judge who ordered a new trial in his case.

Sean Ellis, now 40, was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1993 murder of Boston Police Det. John Mulligan, who was shot five times in the face as he sat in his car on a security detail in Roslindale. It was Ellis’ third trial. The first two trials ended with hung juries.

In granting Ellis a fourth trial, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Carol Ball last week found that exculpatory evidence was withheld from Ellis’ lawyers. That includes a report that one Boston police officer had implicated another officer in the murder.

Source: http://www.wbur.org/2015/05/12/sean-ellis-bail-set

A Boston-based petition requesting a new, fair trial for Sean Ellis garnered more than 5,000 signatures and was delivered to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley in December 2014.

Sean’s murder and armed robbery convictions were overturned on May 5, 2015, with bail set at $50,000.

Sean’s mother is requesting donations to (a) help the family make bail, and (b) assist Sean’s re-entry to civilian life.

Source: http://www.justiceforseanellis.com/letter-from-sean-ellis/

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Brian Peixoto

Brian Peixoto was wrongfully convicted in 1996 for the murder of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son Christopher Affonso, Jr., and sentenced to life in prison in Massachusetts. Peixoto’s supporters state that the child died from injuries sustained during a fall, not from child abuse, and they have four nationally and internationally recognized medical experts that support their claims. New expert evidence proves Brian’s innocence.

Source: Injustice Anywhere

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