Mother's boyfriend charged with Bella's murder

Michael McCarthy, 35, was charged today with the murder of Bella Neva Amoroso Bond, 2 1/2.

"85 days ago, Bella’s body was found in a trash bag on Deer Island," Suffolk County DA Dan Conley said at an afternoon press conference. "We hoped against hope that her death was not a crime, but the evidence carefully and professionally gathered by the men and women with me today suggests otherwise - this child, whose very name means beauty, was murdered."

McCarthy's girlfriend - and Bella's mother - Rachelle Bond, 40, was charged as an accessory after the fact.

Conley said Bella's life ended in "an act of violence" at her Maxwell Street home, but declined to say exactly how, pending the pair's arraignment on Monday in Dorchester Municipal Court. McCarthy is currently hospitalized.

Conley said that after murdering the child, McCarthy "took specific steps" with Bond to hide the girl's death.

A telephone tip to the Boston Police homicide unit earlier this week led investigators to Maxwell Street, Conley said.

Bella's body was found June 26 on a rocky beach at Deer Island, wrapped in a zebra-print blanket inside a plastic bag. Conley said the fact that her body showed few signs of decomposition indicated her death was not long before the discovery.

"Bella's father has been identified" and contacted, he said, adding everybody from Cardinal O'Malley to funeral directors to ordinary citizens have offered help and money for her funeral and burial.

Innocent, etc.

Deer Island memorial to Bella (photo by John Gage):

Where are the comments? If you want to discuss this case, use the earlier post. No reason to create two places for people to scream epithets at each other over such a sad case.