Bella Bond's mother facing new larceny charge

BOSTON — FOX25 has confirmed that Michael McCarthy and Rachelle Bond have been indicted on charges related to Bella Bond's murder.

The indictments were handed up Friday afternoon at the Suffolk Superior Courthouse and they included a new charge. They accuse McCarthy of first-degree murder in the child's homicide.

Bond, the child's mother, was indicted on being an accessory after the fact to the murder and with larceny for continuing to accept public assistance from the Department of Transitional Assistance after she knew of Bella’s death, according to court documents.

Prosecutors wouldn't say how much she collected in benefits after Bella's death, just that it exceeded $250.

Bella Bond, also known as Baby Doe, was found dead on Deer Island in June.

After months of investigating, police finally identified her and arrested her mother's boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, and her mother, Rachelle Bond.

McCarthy is facing first-degree murder charges, which carries an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Bond is charged with accessory after the fact and larceny over $250 by false purposes for allegedly continuing to accept public assistance from the Department of Transitional Assistance.

Accessory after the fact to murder carries a maximum of seven years in state prison.  Larceny over $250 carries a maximum of up to five years.

The couple is expected back in court to be arraigned on the charges in the indictments in January.

Cox Media Group