WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (WPRI) — A man accused of beating an elderly woman to death inside her West Bridgewater, Mass. home was arrested in North Providence early Monday morning.
Police say 34-year-old Danny Lopes, Jr. used a fireplace log to bludgeon 72-year-old Julia Fernandes to death inside their Columbus Avenue home. According to police, Fernandes was the longtime girlfriend of Lopes’ late father.
Police said they found the victim around 6 p.m. Sunday. Police executed a search warrant at the home and later issued an arrest warrant for Lopes.
Several hours later, North Providence police found Lopes hiding out with a relative at a Woodlawn Avenue apartment. After about 15 minutes of negotiating with Lopes though a locked door, police said he surrendered.
Police also charged two people who were in the apartment at the time of Lopes’ arrest: Alex Monteiro, 20, and Alyssa Isaacson, 27. Monteiro, a relative of Lopes, was charged with harboring a criminal, while Isaacson faces an unrelated charge from earlier this month.
Lopes appeared in Kent County District Court Monday for an extradition hearing. He is being held in Rhode Island as a fugitive from justice and will face a murder charge when returned to Massachusetts. He is expected to be arraigned in Massachusetts in the coming days.
Police said a motive for the killing is still unknown.
