2 charged in autistic teen s death held without bail
April 12, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail
BOSTON (AP) A Massachusetts man and his live-in girlfriend, charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his 14-year-old son who was found severely malnourished in their apartment last October, were held without bail at their Superior Court arraignment Monday.
John Almond, 33, and Jacyln Marie Coleman, 26, pleaded not guilty in the death of David Almond, who had autism.
David was found emaciated, bruised and unresponsive at the couple’s Fall River apartment and was taken to the hospital where he died, according to authorities.
Two other children also lived in the apartment, including one of David s triplet brothers, and a 3-year-old boy who is John Almond and Coleman s biologial child.
David Almond report: Shocking details of Fall River teen s abuse, neglect
heraldnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heraldnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Safeguards in place, especially at DCF and its Fall River office, “were inadequate,” according the OCA.
The report indicates the need for changes and outlined some 25 recommendations, some which will require action by the legislature as well as policy and procedural changes.
“Everyone should take the time to read this report. It is horrific, we know that. Everyone failed David and his brothers, and the report clearly demonstrates that,” said Fiola. “Now the really hard part is to figure out how to fix this broken system.”
Fiola is encouraged, she said, by House Speaker Ron Mariano and the Senate’s call for the oversight probe by the joint committee.
Enrolled in Fall River, but never attended classes
On Wednesday, Maria Mossaides, the state’s Child Advocate, released a report detailing how child welfare agencies in New York, where the boys previously lived with their mother, and Massachusetts along with Fall River Public Schools and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education failed to take steps that may have prevented David’s death.
In March of last year, when Almond and Coleman gained custody of David and Michael, they enrolled the boys in fully remote classes at Henry Lord Middle School. Last fall, a few weeks before David died, they became students at Durfee and signed up for remote classes there.
Lizzie Borden B&B sold, latest on death of autistic city teen: Top 5 stories from Fall River last week
The Herald News
The Herald News’ top five stories from last week, according to our readers.
Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum is being sold
The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast is changing hands but the new owner says nothing will change at the famous Fall River tourist attraction.
The “murder house,” where Lizzie Borden’s father Andrew and stepmother Abby were axed to death in 1892, went on the market last January for $2 million and is being sold to Virginia entrepreneur Lance Zaal.
vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.