Fall River Man Pleads Guilty to Son’s Murder and Causing Injuries/Endangering Other Sons
Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney
Press Release
March 10, 2023
John Almond, 35, of Fall River, pled guilty today in Fall River Superior Court to second degree murder and other charges connected to the death of his 14-year-old son, David, injury to a second son, and endangerment of a third son, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced. He was sentenced by Judge Raffi Yessayan to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
On October 21, 2020 at 7:43 am 911 was called because David was not breathing. First responders arrived to find David on the floor covered in brown matter, wearing a diaper, emaciated and not breathing. He had bruises and cuts all over his body including over and under his feet. He was pronounced deceased at Charlton Memorial Hospital. David weighed 86 lbs. at the time of death. He had lost 57 pounds in the course of a few months.
The Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as failure to thrive, malnutrition due to starvation and neglect in an adolescent w/ autism spectrum. The manner of death was homicide.
David’s twin brother was also found by first responders dirty, covered in cuts and bruises and unable to sit-up or walk in a small room. He was dehydrated and Fentanyl was found in his system. He was treated at a local hospital for severe malnourishment, dehydration muscle deconditioning to the point of atrophy.
A third son, younger than the other two victims, was also found by doctors to have Fentanyl in his system. When police searched through the apartment, the found 70 needles & hundreds of glassine baggies with Fentanyl residue.
During a sentencing hearing, Deputy District Attorney William McCauley and Second Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman argued for a life prison sentence with parole eligibility at 25 years. They also requested an additional five to 10 year state prison sentence on a second charge of Assault and Battery on a Disabled Person-causing serious bodily injury. The defense, however, argued for a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole after 15 years and requested that the 5 to 10 year prison sentence on the second criminal charge run concurrently to the life prison sentence. Judge Yessayan eventually sentenced the defendant to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years and ordered the second prison sentence to run concurrently with the first.
The defendant also pled guilty to charges of possessing fentanyl, and two counts of reckless endangerment of a child.
Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
774-292-9576