FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Bristol County grand jury has handed up an indictment lodging upgraded charges against two people in the death of a disabled teenager and the abuse of one of his triplet brothers, the office of District Attorney Thomas Quinn announced Monday.
John Michael Almond, 33, and Jaclyn Marie Coleman, 26, now face charges of second-degree murder and neglect of a disabled person resulting in serious bodily injury.
The DA’s office said police responded to a Green Street home on the morning of Oct. 21 and found the boy, David Almond, covered in feces and living in abhorrent conditions.
David, who suffered from an intellectual disability, was rushed to Charlton Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators also found one of David’s brothers was in emaciated condition, which police determined was the result of neglect, according to the DA’s office. The boy was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital for treatment.
“The facts and circumstances relating to the indictments are extremely disturbing and egregious,” Quinn said in a news release. “I want to thank the prosecutors for their efforts in investigating.”
Coleman was also indicted for withholding evidence from an official proceeding for allegedly trying to destroy a cell phone in the presence of police, the DA’s office said.
Both suspects are due in Fall River Superior Court at a later date.
