Man, 54, 'bludgeoned girlfriend to death in alcohol-and-drug fuelled killing'
A 54-year-old man has been accused of bludgeoning his live-in girlfriend to death with a hammer after a night of drinking and taking drugs, before escaping to a shed down the road where he was found and arrested a few hours later.
Matthew Lucas, of Freetown, Massachusetts, was arrested on Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty to murder in Fall River District Court in the killing of 44-year-old Heidi Chace. He is being held in custody without bail, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.
Police responded to an emergency call and rushed to 92 Chace Road in East Freetown at 4.24am on Wednesday, where they found the woman dead. The couple's neighbour said Ms Chace was not breathing and "cold to the touch", Assistant District Attorney Caleb Weiner said in court.
The woman also told officers that Lucas had been home prior to the 911 call, but had since left on foot. Lucas, identified as the primary suspect, was found hiding in a shed on Burns Lane in Freetown at about 8.40am on Wednesday.
The victim was found with trauma to her face, prosecutors said. Officers also found blood throughout the house and a hammer "saturated in blood that had hair on it" in what was described by Mr Weiner as a "particularly violent and vicious crime scene".
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Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said Ms Chace was brutally killed - and mentioned the defendant has "a significant criminal history". Speaking outside court, the suspect's daughter said: "I knew my dad had issues, but I didn't think he would kill somebody."
The killing allegedly happened after Lucas and Ms Chase smoked crack cocaine and drank with neighbours, with one of them telling WCVC that she felt he would kill her. She said: "And that's what I woke up to. Everybody fights, gets into arguments. You never think they're really going to go through with what they say."
Witnesses told investigators that while spending time with their neighbours, Lucas allegedly started grabbing his girlfriend's hair and neck - and the two had to be separated. WFXT reported that later that evening, witnesses heard Lucas yelling and objects being smashed at the couple's home.
A neighbour who went to check on the pair allegedly heard Lucas tell his partner: "Why are you cold, Heidi? I love you." Mr Weiner said: "He engaged Lucas at that time through the screen door, and Lucas explained that he had killed Heidi and that his life was over."
According to WFXT, Lucas, who had previous convictions for violent crimes and restraining orders, "had just been released from a commitment" two days before Ms Chace's death. The suspect's defense attorney said in court he has a history of mental health issues, including schizophrenia. The defendant is set to appear in court on October 29.
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