Woman pleads guilty in Fall River teenager’s death

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Fall River woman will spend the rest of her life behind bars for her role in the death of her boyfriend’s 14-year-old autistic son.

Jaclyn Coleman, 28, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder and other charges in the October 2020 death of David Almond.

The teen’s father, John Almond, pleaded guilty earlier this month and was sentenced to life in prison.

An officer who responded to the family’s Green Street apartment found David emaciated, unresponsive and covered in his own vomit, according to authorities.

The officer said six people, including David and his twin brother Michael, lived in the one-bedroom apartment, which was in abhorrent condition.

Officers found more than 1,000 bags of fentanyl and heroin inside the apartment, police said. It was later determined that both David and Michael had fentanyl in their systems.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said David and his brother, who was also diagnosed with autism, were subjected to “inhumane neglect” at the hands of both their father and Coleman. The couple took custody of the teenagers just months before David’s death, according to prosecutors.

“These children depended on the care and comfort of their father and his girlfriend,” Quinn said. “But they were deprived of that and treated inhumanely.”

Prior to moving in with the couple, prosecutors said both David and Michael were in perfect health. The brothers were described as being “happy and thriving” at a school for children with disabilities.

“David had his whole life ahead of him,” Quinn said. “He had so much potential.”

Coleman was sentenced to life in prison. Quinn said he’s pleased that she is taking responsibility for her role in David’s death.

“I think justice has been served,” he said. “They have accepted responsibility for the heinous and inhumane treatment of innocent children.”

The Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate released a scathing report soon after David’s death, which concluded it was the result of a “multi-system failure exacerbated by the pandemic.”

“David’s memory lives on far beyond the circumstances of his death,” Office of the Child Advocate Director Maria Mossaides said. “His name is spoken of in the highest level of state government.”