BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: A 51-year-old man who has a violent criminal past has reportedly bludgeoned his live-in partner to death with a hammer in their Massachusetts residence following a night of drinking and drugs.
The accused apparently hid in a shed down the road before he was arrested by the authorities, according to the prosecutors.
Matthew Lucas pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, September 20, in Fall River District Court to the murder of Heidi Chace, 44. He was held in custody without bail, prosecutors said.
What did the suspect's daughter say?
The suspect’s daughter seemed surprised by the harrowing event outside the court.
“I knew my dad had issues, but I didn’t think he would kill somebody,” she said, according to CBS Providence, Rhode Island, affiliate WPRI.
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M Quinn III said it was a brutal killing. “It’s just another tragedy,” he said, adding, “But as you’ve heard, the defendant has a significant criminal history.”
When did the authorities find out about the incident?
The victim was killed early Wednesday and at 4.35 am, a neighbor called the police, saying a woman had been found unconscious at a home at 92 Chace Road in East Freetown, south of Boston.
Authorities found Chace’s body with significant trauma to her face, blood throughout the house, and a hammer “saturated in blood that had hair on it,” in a “particularly violent and vicious crime scene,” said Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Caleb Weiner, Boston Fox affiliate WFXT reported.
The killing allegedly took place after the duo smoked crack cocaine and drank with neighbors.
One of the neighbors told ABC Boston affiliate WCVB that she felt he would kill her. “And that’s what I woke up to,” she said.
She added, “Everybody fights, gets into arguments. You never think they’re really going to go through with what they say.”
What happened during the party?
According to the investigators, witnesses told that at one point during the partying, the suspect allegedly started grabbing at the victim’s hair and neck, and the two had to be separated.
Later, witnesses reported hearing Lucas yelling and objects being smashed at their home.
A neighbor checking on the couple allegedly heard Lucas say, “Why are you cold, Heidi? I love you.”
“He engaged Lucas at that time through the screen door, and Lucas explained that he had killed Heidi and that his life was over,” Weiner said, WFXT reported.
The suspected killer was found in a shed less than a mile from the home and taken into custody.
Weiner said the suspect, who had a long rap sheet with convictions for violent crimes and restraining orders, “had just been released from a commitment” two days before Chace was killed
Lucas’ defense attorney said in court he has a past of mental health issues, including schizophrenia, the station reported. He is set to appear in court on October 20.
