He testified that he "flipped out" when Rachelle Bond told him about their daughter's death
By Alysha Palumbo and Rob Michaelson ••
Joe Amoroso, the father of Bella Bond, says he “flipped out” when Rachelle Bond told him about their daughter’s death.
Jurors heard a heated exchange Friday between Rachelle Bond and Joe Amoroso, as he confronted her for a second time in mid-September 2015 about the whereabouts of their daughter Bella Bond.
It was recorded by the man accused of killing Bella - Bond's then-boyfriend Michael McCarthy - about 24 hours before Bond broke down and told Amoroso the daughter he had never met was dead.
"She told me that Michael McCarthy did it right away," Amoroso testified Friday, his second day on the stand in McCarthy's murder trial. "I believed what she was telling me. I didn't feel like she was making it up."
The mother of Bella Bond concluded her testimony Thursday, and the 2-year-old girl's biological father took the stand for the first time.
McCarthy, 37, is accused of fatally punching Bella Bond in the stomach in 2015 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 stuffed in a plastic bag.
But under cross-examination, Amoroso conradicted 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.
"She did tell me she wrapped Bella's body in a blanket, yes," Amoroso said.
Bond, 41, pleaded guilty in February to being an accessory after the fact for helping her boyfriend dispose of her daughter’s body after he allegedly beat her to death. Bond testified under a plea deal with prosecutors.
Earlier in the day Friday, Chief Medical Examiner Henry Nields testified that Bella likely died of asphyxiation or sudden cardiac arrest from blunt trauma. He found bruising on her body, but no internal injuries.
Rachelle Bond's testimony Thursday centered around texts she sent to McCarthy months before her daughter's death, a meme she posted to Facebook, and an internet search she conducted thrree months after her daughter was found dead, seeking legal representation. It was her fifth and final day on the stand.
Facebook/Suffolk County District Attorney's Office
Facebook/Suffolk County District Attorney's Office
Rachelle Bond, Bella's mother, allegedly allowed her boyfriend Michael McCarthy to kill Bella.
Facebook
Bella Bond
Rachelle Bond y Bella Bond.
Bella Bond.
Bella Bond.
Rachelle Bond y su hija Bella.
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McCarthy was charged with the child's murder.
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Rachelle was charged with accessory after the fact.
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A billboard showing the computer-generated image of "Baby Doe." Authorities searched for the girl for months after her body washed up on a Boston Harbor island in June 2015.
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After searching for "Baby Doe" using the composite image at left, police were eventually able to identify the child whose remains were found on Deer Island in June as Bella Bond, pictured at right in a picture from her mother's Facebook page.
Opening statements in McCarthy's trial began on Tuesday May 30.
Neighbor Yessiomara Torre testified Wednesday about living next to Michael McCarthy, Rachelle, and Bella Bond.
Michael McCarthy's friend Michael Sprinsky testified on Wednesday. Sprinsky lived with McCarthy, Rachelle, and Bella Bond for a few months.
NBC Boston
Joseph McCarthy Jr., the brother of accused killer Michael McCarthy, testified on Friday in the Bella Bond trial.
NBC Boston
Joe McCarthy Jr., the brother of accused killer Michael McCarthy, testified on Friday.
NBC Boston
Rachelle Bond testified Friday in the trial of her daughter's accused killer.
NBC Boston
Rachelle Bond testified Friday in the trial of her daughter's accused killer.
During Monday's testimony the jury was shown a photo of Bella Bond the night before she died.
The jury was also shown a photo of Rachelle and Bella along with Michael McCarthy and his dog.
This post appeared on Rachelle Bond's Facebook page. She told lawyers the post was a "joke."
Bella Bond's biological father Joseph Amoroso took the stand Thursday morning.
Dr. Henry Nields, chief medical examiner testified on Friday morning.
Massachusetts State Police trooper Daniel Herman testified on Monday morning. Herman is assigned to the Suffolk DA's office in the homicide investigation unit.
The Deer Island shoreline where Baby Doe was found.
The black and white polka dot leggings Bella Bond was found wearing.
The zebra print blanket Baby Doe was found with.
The girl was also found with a pink blanket.
One of the black trash bags where Baby Doe's body was found.
Massachusetts State Police trooper Anthony Alestock testified Monday afternoon.
Jurors were shown the inside of Rachelle Bond's Maxwell St. apartment.
Inside the apartment jurors were able to see a blanket similar to the one Bella Bond was found in.
There was also a rug similar to the one Bella was found in.
A back bedroom was filled with toys.
There was a photo of Rachelle and Bella on the refrigerator.
Barrett Hoban, an attorney for Winn Management Company which owned Rachelle Bond's apartment testified on Tuesday morning.
Jay Woodhead, the Boston Lead Command Center Controller for the US Coast Guard testifies.
Bond claims that she did not tell anyone about her daughter’s death because she was afraid of McCarthy. She also claims her memory during that time is hazy because of drug use following her daughter’s death.
"Michael killed Bella, he knew what he did to her," Bond said on the stand.
The trial started May 30 and is expected to last several weeks.
