DNA Evidence Links Edwin Alemany To Murder Of Amy Lord
BOSTON (CBS) --Boston Police have charged Edwin Alemany with the murder of 24-year-old Amy Lord.
Alemany, 28, is being charged with first-degree murder after DNA evidence linked him to Lord's murder.
Alemany was arrested last Wednesday in the attacks of two other South Boston women and is undergoing a mental evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.
Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley announced the development at a Thursday morning news conference.
Alemany is expected to be arraigned at the completion of his mental health evaluation.
"The investigation reached a tipping point within the past 24 hours with witness statements, forensic evidence, and surveillance imagery, but we still have a great deal of work to do. This is an extremely complex case," Conley said. "It includes offenses in multiple locations over an extended period of time. Police, prosecutors, and civilians are still working this case and they'll continue those efforts until the truth is spoken in a Suffolk County courtroom."
Thursday afternoon, authorities were searching a section of Stony Brook Reservation. Conley said this is part of the ongoing investigation into Lord's murder.
Authorities say Lord was forced to take out money from five different ATMs before she was taken to Stony Brook Reservation in Hyde Park and stabbed to death last Tuesday.
"Amy Lord was born a small town girl, but she came to love Boston and she called our city her home. Sadly, as in many of our cases, we never knew her in life – but we've come to know a bit about her and her family. They're people of extraordinary grace and dignity.," Conley said. "As I mentioned, this morning I spoke to Amy's mother, Cindy Lord, and assured her that we will not rest until justice is finally done on her behalf. A formal murder charge is part of that process but we can't lose sight of our ultimate goal: a conviction at trial and a verdict upheld on appeal."
Alemany is also accused of attacking two women in South Boston around the time of Lord's murder.
Kayleigh Ballantyne, one of the two women allegedly attacked by Alemany, says she was stabbed several times early Wednesday morning on Gates Street. She was able to kick the knife out the attacker's hands. She later identified Alemany when she was being treated at the hospital. Ballantyne is in stable condition.
Another woman, who was attacked on Old Colony Ave. Tuesday morning, told police that Alemany said to her, "I'm not robbing you I'm going to kill you." Then he looked at her and said, "you're not the one I'm looking for, I'm sorry. I have a hit out for a female pushing a baby carriage."
According to court records, Alemany has a lengthy criminal history, including an attack of a woman last September.
"If you look very carefully at his record, you see an individual who was primarily breaking and entering into cars, stealing from cars with some violence on his record," Conley said "Every time he was before the court, he was punished and the sentence that were imposed was reasonable for the offense at the time."
Meanwhile, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said his department continues to investigate Detective Jerome Hall-Brewster.
The detective was demoted to patrolman last week after a review of a September 2012 incident found he failed to move forward in a sexual assault case last year in which Alemany was the prime suspect.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports
Charges In Amy Lord Murder
Alemany is currently scheduled to return Aug. 14 to South Boston District Court, where he faces charges of armed assault with intent to murder kidnapping, and threats to commit a crime for a July 23 attack on a woman on Old Colony Avenue and additional charges of armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for a July 24 attack on a different woman on Gates Street.
