Man Charged In Strangling Death Of Worcester Teacher's Aide

WORCESTER, MA — A man was charged on Monday in the strangling death of a beloved Worcester teacher's aide, DNA recovered from the murder scene linking him to the crime.

Jose Melendez, 54, Pleasant St., Worcester, was held without bail and was arraigned on a murder charge in the death of Sandra Hehir, an aide in the Worcester Public Schools, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

“The Worcester Police detectives together with my ADAs and the State Police Crime Lab did some great work to get us to this arraignment today,” Early said in a statement.

Hehir, 49, was found strangled to death in her apartment on the morning of Feb. 5.

Melendez had been arrested last week on a warrant out of Lynn District Court. He had defaulted on probation that he was serving on a 2014 breaking and entering conviction. He was arraigned in Worcester Central District Court last week on that charge, two Worcester drug cases and a charge of giving police a false name.

Melendez, who also uses the names Alvarado and Segura, had his bail revoked in the Lynn case and a total of $10,000 bail was set on the other cases. He was held over the weekend in the Worcester County Jail.
DNA recovered from the murder scene connected Melendez to the crime.

He was arraigned Monday in Worcester Central District Court before Judge Margaret Guzman. After Judge Guzman granted defense attorney Michael Hussey’s motion to allow Melendez to stay out of view of the public, he remained behind a large door throughout the arraignment.

All of his cases, including the murder, were continued to April 13 in Worcester Central District Court.

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