Revere rep’s legislation inspired by Bella Bond case
A Revere lawmaker is pushing a bill that could hike sentences to up to 20 years for those convicted of being an accessory to a child’s murder — a move spurred by the Bella Bond case and what critics called the lenient punishment handed down to her mother.
“That case was horrific and I personally found it unconscionable that someone, especially a parent, could be so involved in a murder of a child,” said state Rep. RoseLee Vincent, who worked on the bill with a local childabuse advocate. “I think that punishment should fit the crime. In this case I don’t think it did.”
Rachelle D. Bond ultimately served 665 days in jail for helping cover up the gruesome murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Bella Bond, who was initially known as “Baby Doe” after her then-unidentified body washed ashore on Deer Island.
Bond, who was released on two years’ probation, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and larceny, and testified as the key witness against her ex-boyfriend Michael P. McCarthy, who was sentenced to 20 years to life.
Bond could have faced up to seven years in prison for her accessory after the fact to murder conviction.
Kaleigh Murphy — a Revere resident who helps head the fledgling child advocacy group inspired by the Bond case, Bella’s Voice — had contacted Vincent about changing state law in response to the case.
“(Bond’s sentence) opens the door for people involved to say, ‘Hey, I can completely walk away,’ ” Murphy, 31, said.
The bill, however, faces a tough climate on Beacon Hill, where leaders are prepping criminal justice reforms that are focused on more “creative” sentencing tactics than heavy-handed penalties, said Martin W. Healy, chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Bar Association.