MA - Bella Bond, 2, found dead, Deer Island, Boston Harbor, June 2015 - #6

[Mollyandme]

Murder suspect’s lawyer: Bella Bond’s mother could flip on beau

Defense attorney Brad Bailey, a former state and federal prosecutor, believes prosecutors are holding the accessory charge over Rachelle Bond’s head until they determine if she would make a strong witness.

“The prosecution charged her for a reason,” said Bailey, who is not involved in the case. “And that reason was to try and attempt to not only impose accountability but also continue to try and control her. At this point, they recognize she’s the principal witness in the case. My guess is their goal and their aim is to keep her that way and find whatever corroboration they can to support what right now is just her word against his.”

....

But one veteran litigator thinks prosecutors need to hold Rachelle Bond accountable, too, even though she helped deliver the goods on her boyfriend.

“I think justice and the likelihood of success will be better served if they prosecute them both, independently, without making any compromise,” said Tim Burke, a defense attorney not involved in this case who has handled homicide cases. “This case calls for the highest level of deterrence in sentencing available.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_op...lawyer_bella_bond_s_mother_could_flip_on_beau

This is one if the few instances i find myself agreeing with the defense attorney's opinion (Tim Burke, the second attorney in the article)

 

[Sonya610]

Neighbors said there were men constantly coming and going to her apartment

But what did she do with Bella while she was working the corner? Maybe she was a Craigslist prostitute?

If she was turning tricks at the apartment what would she do if Bella was screaming and a client complained and was about to cancel/walk out? A crying/screaming toddler would be a huge problem.

Would she stuff a rag in the babies mouth and shove her in the closet? If RB was desperate for cash I could see her doing something rash in the heat of the moment.

 

[BUF]

If she was turning tricks at the apartment what would she do if Bella was screaming and a client complained and was about to cancel/walk out? A crying/screaming toddler would be a huge problem.

Would she stuff a rag in the babies mouth and shove her in the closet? If RB was desperate for cash I could see her doing something rash in the heat of the moment.

I would think she would drug her to keep her quiet. If I remember correctly, they didn't find drugs in her system though. Are there any drugs that could dissipate in that timeframe? Guess we need a doctor or nurse to answer this.

 

[human]

These are excellent questions as to where Bella was while RB worked. Maybe she only worked while the godmother had her?

 

[heartgoesout]

Ew.. was she still prostituting??

 

[human]

Ew.. was she still prostituting??

I don't think we know, but where did she get money for drugs?

 

[wondering25]

Murder suspect’s lawyer: Bella Bond’s mother could flip on beau

Defense attorney Brad Bailey, a former state and federal prosecutor, believes prosecutors are holding the accessory charge over Rachelle Bond’s head until they determine if she would make a strong witness.

“The prosecution charged her for a reason,” said Bailey, who is not involved in the case. “And that reason was to try and attempt to not only impose accountability but also continue to try and control her. At this point, they recognize she’s the principal witness in the case. My guess is their goal and their aim is to keep her that way and find whatever corroboration they can to support what right now is just her word against his.”

....

But one veteran litigator thinks prosecutors need to hold Rachelle Bond accountable, too, even though she helped deliver the goods on her boyfriend.

“I think justice and the likelihood of success will be better served if they prosecute them both, independently, without making any compromise,” said Tim Burke, a defense attorney not involved in this case who has handled homicide cases. “This case calls for the highest level of deterrence in sentencing available.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_op...lawyer_bella_bond_s_mother_could_flip_on_beau

IMO, the second attorney is right. this case is not win -able with the present charges. MM will say she killed the baby or he thought the baby was with DCF and RB will hold him responsible. They both need to be charged with murder.. MOO

No deals, no nothing..Her word is worth zero.. so i dont see a jury convicting him of murder on her word. A jury will want to hold the mom responsible , IMO. IF they charge her with murder, the prosecutor gets a conviction.. and maybe they will get him too. PLUS, you are going to have JA changing his story about what she told him 10 times.. betcha. Pack of crazies.. IMO, MM and RB both go to the big house for life..where they belong..

Anything I write is just my opinion.

 

[heartgoesout]

Remember, a jury usually does not hear the same things we hear.
They may never hear she was a prostitute or that she lost other children.

I dont pretend to know the law but I've seen this happen before.

 

[simlyme]

JA got a few pics of Bella every birthday, even a newborn one, some were as late as a few days past her Aug 8th bday, but he got them. This year he did not and we know why. But exactly 1 week after her bday , he says he loves her very much and wishes he would know where he can find her, which means, he knows she's missing, he knows no one he knows knows where she is, WHY DIDN"T HE CALL FOR A WELFARE CHECK???? Because, he would have to start paying child support? Because he knew something had gone VERY wrong? ALL OF THEM ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BELLAS TORTURE AND DEATH, RIGHT DOWN TO DCF!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mollyandme]

Ew.. was she still prostituting??

I would be willing to bet that she was...with Bella in the home that the taxpayers are footing the bill for. I sincerely hope they analyze that closet very closely for scratch marks, urine, anything...I am so sad and disgusted. My almost 3 year old got the safety lock off his closet and went into his closet once and closed the door. I was brushing my teeth so I got to him quickly as soon as I heard screaming but he is still afraid of closets.

 

[Moreack]

This keeps getting worse and worse. I know that a lot of this is just speculation. Poor Bella.

I guess that I don't understand how fcs works. How is it it possible that they didn't equate the reports on RB regarding Bella to her previous cases of her other children being removed from her care?

 

[Sonya610]

Remember, a jury usually does not hear the same things we hear.
They may never hear she was a prostitute or that she lost other children.

I dont pretend to know the law but I've seen this happen before.

Yes but RB will be the star witness, that changes things dramatically. Usually a jury doesn't hear much because the defendant will not take the stand, if they don't take the stand the prosecution can't question them and then use the answers as an excuse to bring up all the garbage from their past (garbage that the judge said was not relevant and couldn't be introduced by the attorneys).

The attorneys are experts at asking questions that will open the door to expose ugly facts, once defendant/witness says something slightly untrue the attorney can jump in with the whole truth to dispute their story/testimony. When RB rambles on about how much she loved Bella...how she would never hurt or mistreat her that will likely open the flood gates for "Oh really? What about the CPS investigations etc..."

It may not all come out during RBs trial but it will during MMs.

 

[LaLaw2000]

I have followed this case from day 1 but just haven't posted much. This is just so heartbreaking to follow.

My thoughts are different than most of you. I blame everyone who was even remotely involved in Baby Bella's life, and I mean everyone. There were people who could have saved her from this awful fate and didn't. Now that she is dead, everyone wants to claim they were close to her.

The paternal grandmother knew what RB was. How could she not? She knew how Bella was conceived. She knew her son ran off to Florida with a different woman. When he didn't know where Bella was, he sure didn't seem to make it a priority to find her. Now he is the loving father. Only trouble is, Bella didn't know him and he had never seen her. Knowing she had been killed (from RB herself), he did not immediately go to the police. I feel he should have been charged with Accessory After the Fact and RB charged with murder along with MM.

I honestly believe there is more to this than we know. I have a theory I cannot write about here because it would go against TOS and I certainly don't want to violate the rules!

I have a little red one cup coffee maker and a large one. The morning I read that Bella had been identified, I was using the one cup coffee maker with the brand name of Bella. A large ceramic cup comes with the coffee maker and I was drinking coffee out of that cup with the name Bella on it. Now I can't look at or see the coffee maker or the cup without thinking of Bella. My daughter in Virginia had gotten a pet bunny for my granddaughter a couple of years ago. They named it Bella Bunny. My Siamese cat I lost from old age had been named Duchess Bella. That was 15 years ago and I still miss her. So many Bella's, and I love that name. I love this child even though I never knew her.

In the state of Louisiana, it doesn't matter if you are accused of a major felony if you are the next of kin to a deceased person, you would still have to sign the body over to another person if you are incarcerated. That has to be done legally and it does not have to be a relative, but if a relative protests, it would have to go to court and be decided by a Judge. My late husband's family owned a funeral home. This has come up in the past. RB would have to sign paperwork assigning someone to act on her behalf, or just sign the body over to a relative. That is how it works in my state. I am so very, very sad that RB's sister cannot be the one who handles Baby Bella's funeral arrangements because she seems to be a decent person. From the bottom of my heart I feel it should be a relative rather than someone who has never met her and will not even do a paternity test to prove he is her father. Even if he is, I still feel it should be a relative who at least knew her.

I hope and pray that Baby Bella's funeral will be done with dignity and not turn into a circus for publicity. I wish this small child knew how many people have come to love her. I wish she knew that from the moment her little body was found, people here at WS was working around the clock to figure out just who she was. Now everyone knows Bella - a very special little person who has come to be loved by most everyone in this country and beyond.

I still cannot say what I think about the accused or the people that surrounded her. TOS.

As sure as I am sitting here writing this, I feel that RB's charges will be upgraded to murder. MM will remain charged with murder as well. This is just my opinion.

Rest in Heavenly Peace, Baby Bella. You are loved.

MOO

 

[wondering25]

According to a woman i saw on TV the first day or 2 after Bella was identified, RB lived with Bella for a time in a family shelter and this woman and her child lived there also. We know Bella was born in August 2012 and there were 2 cases opened then closed on her. One was in 2012 and one in 2013. We dont know how long she was living in that apartment. At some point she was living in a shelter..

Exactly WHEN was this grandma ( mother of JA) involved and where was Bella living at the time? And this GRANDMA was also reportedly homeless in the recent pass. There were ample opportunities for someone to save this child. TB, JA, his mother, the aunt, the DCF, the godmother, the shelter officials,the neighbors, friends, ad infinitum.

It takes a village to raise a child and this entire village failed her.

Anything i write is just my opinion

 

[Sonya610]

I would think she would drug her to keep her quiet. If I remember correctly, they didn't find drugs in her system though. Are there any drugs that could dissipate in that timeframe? Guess we need a doctor or nurse to answer this.

Heroin is a sedative...and something they had on hand. I can't see RB using a needle on a squirming baby but blowing a bit of smoke would probably do the trick.

Apparently if it were inhaled it could be very hard to identify especially in a decomposed body (injected heroin can show up in the blood/heart). It wouldn't have to be enough to poison/kill the child, just enough to induce a stupor that could lead to accidental suffocation.

Heroin is generally administered by intravenous injection, although the popularity of smoking or inhaling its vapors is becoming a popular way for neophytes to use the drug.

Heroin is rapidly metabolized first to 6-monoacetyl morphine with a half life of 10 minutes, then to morphine at a slower rate with a half life of about 40 minutes.

Furthermore, metabolism of the parent to the metabolite may proceed after death for some minutes. As a result, heroin is almost never seen in postmortem tissue of fluid samples.

http://forensicscienceeducation.org.../01/Death-Investigation-Toxicology-Manual.pdf

 

[BUF]

Heroin is a sedative...and something they had on hand. I can't see RB using a needle on a squirming baby but blowing a bit of smoke would probably do the trick.

Apparently if it were inhaled it could be very hard to identify especially in a decomposed body. It wouldn't have to be enough to poison/kill the child, just enough to induce a stupor that could lead to accidental suffocation.

Thank you for finding that Sonya.

 

[Bootsctr]

Heroin is a sedative...and something they had on hand. I can't see RB using a needle on a squirming baby but blowing a bit of smoke would probably do the trick.

Apparently if it were inhaled it could be very hard to identify especially in a decomposed body. It wouldn't have to be enough to poison/kill the child, just enough to induce a stupor that could lead to accidental suffocation.

I could see them blowing heroin smoke in her face to sedate her. MM probably did it to Bailey too. I think medical examiner would have found an injection site if they had injected Bella and, like you say, it would be hard to inject a squirming/fighting 2-year-old. Ugh! That's hard to think about them doping Bella, but a very good possibility RB did so she could "work" if she had no babysitter.

OT: Anyone see the movie, Pathology, starring Alyssa Milano. Actually she didn't play a huge role in the movie, but I only watched it because she was in it. It's very dark and it is rated R for language and nudity.

A group of medical students devise a deadly game: to see which one of them can commit the perfect murder.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964539/

 

[gcharlie]

I would think she would drug her to keep her quiet. If I remember correctly, they didn't find drugs in her system though. Are there any drugs that could dissipate in that timeframe? Guess we need a doctor or nurse to answer this.

Hopefully someone with better knowledge than me will explain this more, but my understanding is that drugs don't dissipate per se, instead they are metabolized by the body over time, depending on absorption rate, peak plasma level, half life and excretion.

If I understand things correctly, toxicology results for two victims of the same weight and drug dosage at markedly different times relative to death would show different results, but the drug would still be detected in the tox screen provided the drug has not been fully metabolized.

 

[Bootsctr]

“If you're going to show that somebody did a murder, you're going to have to show how they did the murder you're going to have to prove that a murder did in fact, happen,” Boston attorney Peter Elikann said.

Elikann says that's the first hurdle prosecutors have to overcome: they have to answer the question how did little Bella bond die?

“It would be helpful if we could learn exactly how the murder was done, how the killing was done. That would confirm this was a murder, this wasn't an accident they were trying to cover up,” he said.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/30...la-bond-murder-case-may-be-difficult-to-prove

 

[Bootsctr]

That's why both attorneys say investigators are still looking for more evidence.

“That is going to be crucial, because simply the mother’s word alone may not be strong enough and do the trick,” Elikann said.

While all that is going on, there is still the question of what is happening with Bella Bond herself.

FOX25 did some checking and found the medical examiner still has Bella's body.

When Bella's body is released, her biological father, the man who never met her, will plan her funeral.

The DA has given him a list of all the people who want to help, who offered to donate items or pay for the funeral, but it will be up to the father to decide.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/30...la-bond-murder-case-may-be-difficult-to-prove

I agree that Bella has JA's eyebrows. How much longer will the medical examiner keep Bella's body? I know there was some testing that they said would take months to get results returned.