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Girlfriend says Brockton man arrested for murder was 'defending' her

BROCKTON, Mass. — The girlfriend of a man arrested for murder in Brockton said her boyfriend was defending her when he struck another man in the head with a shovel.

Michael Pircio pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday after he was arrested earlier that morning.

Prosecutors say Pircio killed his upstairs neighbor, William Porter, with a shovel after he saw Porter attempting to kiss his girlfriend.

Neighbors said they were shocked, telling FOX25 that Porter was helpful and friendly.

“It's a bad thing, you know? And it's right next to our house...happened to a good guy. I think he's a good guy because he always helped out when he could,” Freddy Diaz told FOX25.

Mary Hill said her heart was broken after seeing Pircio, her boyfriend, in handcuffs.

“He's a good guy and he works very hard, and he has a really good heart,” Hill said. “If he wasn't there to defend me when I couldn't, I would have been sexually assaulted against my will.”

Hill said she and Pircio were renting the bottom floor apartment of a home on Menlo Street. She said Porter came into their apartment Monday night while Pircio was gone.

“He came in, was making sexual comments towards me, saying I'm pretty, this and that,” she said.

Hill said she messaged Pircio, worried about her safety, and that Pircio then called the police.

“The police responded, they spoke to Mary Hill outside of the apartment, she said that everything was fine,” prosecutor Andrea Sprague said.

Hill said she told police to leave because she was worried she would get arrested for a probation violation.

But moments later, she said Porter became aggressive again, and that's when prosecutors said Pircio came home.

“As he's coming into the home, he sees the two – Mr. Porter and Ms. Hill -- on the couch and Mr. Porter is attempting to kiss Ms. Hill,” explained Sprague.

Investigators said Pircio hit Porter in the head twice with a shovel, killing him. Prosecutors called it murder, but Hill said it was a matter of survival.