Massachusetts

Trial of Teen Charged with Beheading Classmate Resumes

The trial of a Massachusetts teenager charged with killing and beheading a high school classmate is entering its second week.

Testimony in the first-degree murder trial of 18-year-old Mathew Borges is scheduled to resume Monday.

Prosecutors say the then-15-year-old Borges killed 16-year-old Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino in November 2016 because he was jealous the victim had spent time with his girlfriend. Prosecutors also say Borges distracted Viloria-Paulino to get him out of his house while others robbed it.

They were both sophomores at Lawrence High School at the time.

Borges is being tried as an adult. He pleaded not guilty.

Viloria-Paulino's body was found along the banks of the Merrimack River by a dog-walker, his head nearby.

Defense attorneys say there's no physical evidence to link Borges to the death.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us