DA: Hyde Park murder suspect asked detectives: 'I just want to know whether he's dead'

A Mattapan man was ordered held without bail today on charges he fatally stabbed a 19-year-old in the Georgetowne development last evening.

At William Earl's arraignment in West Roxbury District Court, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Tara Burdman said Earl, 20, went up to Samuel Constant on Margaretta Drive around 6 p.m. and, "without any provocation," fatally stabbed him.

Burdman said police found the victim dead on the street when they arrived. They found Earl not long after, with facial wounds and clothes covered in blood, she said.

Earl was taken to a local hospital for treatment, which is where he spoke to homicide detectives, and asked whether "I just want to know whether he's dead," she said.

As the hearing for Earl, who stood behind a door, out of view of court spectators, ended, Constant's mother began keening. "Whoa! My baby! I want to see him!" Court officers promptly cleared the court; the woman's relatives covered her in a shawl as they slowly walked her out of the courthouse.

Innocent, etc.