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DA looking at possible link between Amy Lord's murder, Southie assaults

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com/AP) - The Suffolk County District Attorney's office says investigators are looking at a possible connection between the murder of a 24-year-old woman and attacks on two women in South Boston.

Edwin Alemany, 28, was ruled unfit to be arraigned Thursday for his alleged role in the attacks that took place in the same neighborhood where Amy Lord was abducted before being fatally stabbed.

Alemany, who is accused of stabbing a woman early Wednesday and punching another Tuesday, was arrested after going to Tufts Medical Center with a cut on his hand.

FOX 25's Melissa Mahan spoke to Alemany's neighbors Thursday night. They said they were aware the 28-year-old had a criminal history, but never thought he'd be capable of such attacks on women. Alemany was living with a woman on East 8th Street in South Boston, not far from Lord's home on Dorchester Street.

Alemany's defense attorney told reporters outside court that he has not been notified of his client being a potential person of interest in Lord's kidnapping and murder.

No arrests have been made in connection to Lord's murder. Investigators say the 24-year-old Bentley University graduate was taken to several banks to withdraw money before she was killed. The Boston Globe reported Lord was beaten inside her apartment before she was forced into her Jeep. A law enforcement source tells the newspaper they believe Lord was kidnapped and murdered by one man.

>>The Boston Globe: Push for increased safety at ATMs after Amy Lord slaying

Lord's body was found Tuesday afternoon by a bicyclist at the Stony Brook Reservation in Hyde Park, police said.

Boston police said Lord was wearing gym clothes when she was kidnapped early Tuesday morning.

Investigators said Lord was seen on surveillance video at five bank ATM machines between 6 a.m. and 6:47 a.m. Police released photos of those visits, looking for help from anyone who might have seen her with her killer.

A photo released by police from one of the cameras showed Lord getting out of the passenger side of her Jeep wearing a gray gym shirt, black yoga pants and bright pink or orange shoes.

Police said Lord's ATM account was accessed several times at banks on Columbia Road, Southampton Street, Massachusetts Avenue and Adams Street.

Lord's car was found at about 8:40 a.m. Tuesday in South Boston after it had been set on fire, said Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley. Her body was discovered about eight hours later.

"We need to find justice for Amy Lord, for her family and her friends," Conley said.

Police were seeking help from any witnesses and cautioned women in the South Boston neighborhood to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings at all times.

Lord was working for Genuine Interactive, a digital media company in Boston. In a statement, the company called her death "tragic and shocking."

"We met Amy three years ago while she was still an undergrad at Bentley and were impressed by both her smarts and infectious, positive personality," the company said in a statement. "Her ever-present smile and caring nature made her a favorite friend of everyone here."

Lord graduated in 2007 from Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, where she was an honors student and a varsity cheerleader, according to school superintendent, Martin O'Shea.

At Bentley, Lord was a peer adviser for the study abroad program. She studied business and economics at the Universidad de Navarra in Spain in 2009 and played intramural soccer, Bentley president Gloria Larson said in a statement.

Anyone who may have seen Lord Tuesday morning or may have any information is asked to call 617-343-4470.