Bella Bond Murder Trial: Four Things To Know

BOSTON, MA — It was one of the most horrifying and confounding Boston cases of the century. Who was the 2-year-old girl found washed ashore in a plastic bag in the summer of 2015? And who was responsible for her getting there?

While it appears multiple people failed Bella Bond, one has been found guilty of her murder. Michael McCarthy, the then-boyfriend of Bella's mother, Rachelle Bond, was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Suffolk County jury Monday morning. (Subscribe to Boston Patch and like us on Facebook for more local Hub news and alerts.)

Here are five things to know about the trial:

What was the major takeaway?

Heroin shaped the world around Bella Bond's short life and gripped nearly everyone she knew. Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney David Deakin said it at the end of the trial: "It's primarily heroin that led us all here."

The deadly shadow of the opioid crisis covered the trial from start to finish. Rachelle Bond and McCarthy were bonded by a mutual addiction. Bella's father, Joe Amoroso, who left to Florida after Rachelle Bond became pregnant, was also an alleged addict.

What was the defense's case?

Defense attorney Jonathan Shapiro's strategy was to tear down the credibility of the state's star witness, Rachelle Bond, saying the state had made a deal with the devil. The defense said Rachelle Bond had killed Bella and told Michael McCarthy the girl had been taken by the Department of Children and Families.

Rachelle Bond's past heroin addiction and alleged obsession with the occult were key points for Shapiro. During closing arguments, he brought out a selfie Bond took on Sept. 15, 2015, the day she told a friend of McCarthy's that her daughter was dead. The photo appeared to show Bond in a good mood.

What did jurors have to decide?

The jury essentially had to decide if someone would be found guilty of Bella Bond's murder. Rachelle Bond had testified in exchange for release from prison after she pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and a larceny charge, and both sides argued it was only the other who killed the girl.

The jury was tasked with deciding if McCarthy was guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or involuntary manslaughter. Second-degree murder means a life sentence with the possibility of parole in 15 years, when McCarthy would be 52. Sentencing is Wednesday morning.

Was the case a slam dunk?

Hardly. The case was indeed considered flimsy by some legal experts who noted Bond changing details of her story and a lack of physical evidence tying McCarthy to the murder.

Shapiro seemed to believe a major blow to his case came following last Monday's closing arguments. Shapiro aggressively accused Judge Janet Sanders of "buckling" under the prosecution's pressure, yelling "You're screwing up my whole case!" Sanders had told the jury the prosecution did not need to prove McCarthy had acted alone in Bond's murder.

The trial last roughly three weeks. The jury was entering its fifth complete day of deliberations when a verdict was reached.