Man charged in Baby Doe’s death pleads not guilty to murder

The garbage bag containing Bella’s body was discovered on the shores of Deer Island in MA on June 25.

Rachelle Bond in Suffolk Superior Court on January 6.

“The Commonwealth’s case against Mr. McCarthy is incredibly weak”, said his lawyer, Jonathan Shapiro.

Michael McCarthy, 35, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. Bond had told police that McCarthy said Bella “was a demon anyway”.

The girl’s true identity, though, wasn’t discovered until September when Rachelle Bond allegedly told a friend of McCarthy’s that even if she got sober, she’d never see her daughter again. He says: “There’s no forensic evidence and no DNA evidence”. Shapiro also said that McCarthy is known as a “easy-going” and mild-mannered person, and characterized Bond as easily angered, drug addicted, and a woman with a history of child neglect.

The prosecution said the couple stole weights from McCarthy’s father’s plumbing business and used them to weigh down the baby’s body when they threw her in Boston Harbor.

Baby Doe was later identified as 2-year-old Bella Bond, whose mother was McCarthy’s girlfriend.

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families has been plagued with problems over the course of 2015.

Rachelle Bond was arraigned on Wednesday and is being held on bail set at $1 million.

Bond’s lawyer says that she denies helping McCarthy in any way and that he had psychological control over her.

A larceny charge was added against Bond for allegedly continuing to accept public assistance after she knew her daughter had been killed.

McCarthy’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 16.