Mom’s boyfriend gets life in killing of girl dubbed Baby Doe
BOSTON — A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to life in prison in the killing of 2-year-old girl who became known as Baby Doe after her remains washed up on the shore of a Boston Harbor island.
Michael McCarthy will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years under the sentence imposed Wednesday.
McCarthy was convicted Monday of second-degree murder in the 2015 killing of Bella Bond, his girlfriend’s daughter. A computer-generated image of Bella was shared by millions on social media as authorities scrambled to identify her.
A prosecutor asked the judge to set McCarthy’s parole eligibility at 25 years — 10 years more than the minimum. McCarthy’s lawyer called that recommendation “vindictive.”
The girl’s mother, Rachelle Bond, told the jury at McCarthy’s trial that she saw him kill her daughter.
In this May 22, 2017, file photo, Michael McCarthy watches as jury selection begins for his murder trial in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston. McCarthy was convicted Monday, June 26 of second-degree murder in the death of Bella Bond who became known as Baby Doe after her remains washed up on the shores of a Boston Harbor island.
Defendant Michael P. McCarthy looks at his attorney Jonathan Shapiro after a guilty of second degree murder against him at Suffolk Superior Court on Monday, June 26, 2017. McCarthy was convicted Monday of second-degree murder in the death of Bella Bond, a 2-year-old girl who became known as Baby Doe after her remains washed up on the shores of a Boston Harbor island.