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Mass. man accused of brutally assaulting NH couple has long criminal record

BEDFORD, NH (MyFoxBoston.com/AP) -- New Hampshire investigators announced Friday that a Mass. man has been arrested in the home invasion of a prominent Bedford couple.

Charles Normil, whose last known address was in Lawrence, is accused of breaking into the home of Dr. Eduardo Quesada and his wife, Sonia, on Nov. 24, 2012.

Normil is charged with attempted murder, assault, sexual assault and falsifying evidence. Authorities said Normil has been in custody in Massachusetts since December on another matter, and they will seek to have him brought to New Hampshire.

Methuen police say Normil was charged in Dec. 2012 for his alleged connection to a violent home invasion at an apartment on Grove Street. A female victim lost the use of her eye after being brutally beaten inside the apartment on Dec. 14.

Officials also say Normil was charged for home invasions in Rye, NH in 2009. In a Seacoastonline.com article written after his 2009 arrest, an investigator told reporters Normil had a criminal history that was 39 pages long. His record reportedly includes convictions for assault and battery on a police officer, assault with a dangerous weapon, armed robbery, drug possession, and carrying a dangerous weapon.

Authorities did not name a second suspect who is also facing charges in the 2012 home invasion, but said he is in federal custody.

During a press conference Friday, investigators allege Normil's motivation for breaking in was financial and that he did not know the Quesadas.

Normil is accused of stabbing Dr. Quesada in the head with a screw driver and sexually assaulting his wife during the home invasion.

The new developments in the case come after several law enforcement agencies searched two ponds in Amherst and Milford, N.H. earlier in the week.

Bedford Police Chief John J. Bryfonski would not comment on what was found during the search, but confirmed that significant progress was made.

Normil's arrest comes after months of what Police Chief Bryfonski called "frustrating investigative work."

In January, police responded to a relative's home and found Sonia Quesada dead and Dr. Quesada unconscious nearby.

Police said they found a large amount of prescription drugs in the home.

An autopsy was performed on Sonia Quesada, but the results have not been made public.

Investigators have said the home invasion and death were not connected.