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Detective Details Evidence in Bella Bond Murder Trial

Jurors in the Bella Bond murder trial got an up close look Monday at some of the most critical physical evidence in the case against her accused killer.

Lead Detective Daniel Herman with the Massachusetts State Police showed jurors the black and white polka dot leggings the little girl known at the time only as "Baby Doe" was wearing when she washed up on a Boston Harbor island in June of 2015.

Those leggings would become key in identifying the little girl when a tip came in three months later that she may have lived inside an apartment on Maxwell Street in Dorchester.

Jurors also saw the blankets Bella was wrapped in, the plastic garbage bags she was found in, and the duffel bag she was in when she was allegedly dumped into the water in South Boston. And they held the rusty weights prosecutors say were used to weigh that duffel bag down.

Michael McCarthy, the ex-boyfriend of Bella's mother Rachelle Bond, is on trial for first-degree murder.

McCarthy, 37, is accused of fatally punching 2-year-old Bella in the stomach after she wouldn’t go to bed. The little girl’s body was thrown into the water and later found washed ashore on Deer Island in Winthrop.

Herman appeared to be choking back emotion as he described what he saw when he arrived at the scene.

"Upon opening the bag, I observed what looked to me to be the little hands and little feet of what looked to be a little girl," he said.

He said there was no obvious injury or blood, and there were two blankets in the bag with the girl.

Herman also testified Monday about the extensive efforts police resorted to in an attempt to identify the girl. In addition to asking the public for help, police went over store receipts to Target and Claire's in an attempt to find out where and when the girl's leggings and earrings might have been purchased.

Bella's father, Joe Amoroso finished his testimony on Friday.

A 22-year-old man has been stabbed to death in New Bedford.

Under cross-examination, Amoroso contradicted Rachelle Bond's earlier testimony that she blacked out and didn't help McCarthy with Bella's body before he allegedly dumped it in the water in South Boston. 

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The medical examiner also discussed Bella’s cause of death, and the defense argued it didn't support Rachelle Bond's story. 

Rachelle Bond could also face jail time if the jury does not believe her account of her daughter's death. 

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Copyright AP - Associated Press
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