Couple Charged After Woman Found Murdered Near MBTA Tracks

A New Hampshire couple was charged with lying to police after a woman was found murdered in Bridgewater earlier this month.

The body of Ashley Bortner, 29, of Paulsboro, N.J., was found on fire near MBTA tracks on Nov. 3.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz on Monday announced Julian and Shannon Squires, of Manchester, were arrested in connection with the case. The couple, who are 40 years old and 39, respectively, was with Bortner in the hours leading up to her death—and they lied about their whereabouts after, police said.

The couple was not charged with murder. Cruz said more details will be released Tuesday at a 2 p.m. news conference.

Julian Squires was held on $100,000 bail; his wife was held on $20,000.

Bortner was a single mother with a 13-year-old son.

“She was a wonderful, beautiful person with a loving heart,” her mother told the Boston Herald.

Cruz called her murder “targeted.”

Photo: Ashley Bortner. (Credit: WCVB)

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