Winchester Man Indicted in Murder of Mother

Matthew McAveeney, 46, of Winchester, has been indicted by a Middlesex County Superior Court grand jury on charges of murder, assault and battery on a person 60 years of age or older and cruelty to animals (two counts).

McAveeney allegedly beat his mother, Barbara McAveeney, 70, to death in her Winchester apartment in October. He fled the state, but was arrested a week later in North Carolina.

He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on Monday.

“The death of Barbara McAveeney was a crime of violence and extreme brutality,” District Attorney Marian Ryan said. “Her family, friends, and the community of Winchester are still grieving her loss which is compounded by the facts of the case, that her own son allegedly was her killer.”