The killer of Bella Bond, the girl found washed up on a beach in Boston two years ago, was sentenced to Life In Prison. The father of the deceased girl took the stand and read an emotional statement about him not being given the chance to be a father to his two-year-old toddler.
According to CBS News, Bond’s father, Joseph Amoroso, also called his daughter as a gift from God. He added her life was cut short at a very young age but Bond “was, still is and always will be in my heart and soul.” He noted that he named his daughter Bella because of its meaning, which is beautiful.
He added that Bond was a happy and smart child who loved Hello Kitty when she was still alive. Ambroso also said Bond would have been beautiful, successful and a woman who loved life if only she was given more years to live.
One of the most powerful statements of Amoroso reads, "I was robbed of my chance to be a father to Bella. No verdict changes that. No justice on earth fixes that grief."
Joseph Amoroso wanted to be a father to Bella Bond
Amoroso wanted to be a father to his daughter and even communicated with the child’s mother before he went back to Massachusetts from Georgia. Bella’s mother, Rachelle Bond, never told Amoroso that Bella was already dead. Rachelle initially told Amoroso that the girl was with her godparents but eventually she told him she died.
Amoroso and Rachelle met when they were homeless in Boston year 2012. He moved to Georgia and never met Bella. Later, he and Rachelle communicated again through phone and started a relationship. By 2015, he called her up and told Rachelle he wanted to be a father to Bella. He travelled to Boston to visit Bella.
How did Bella Bond die?
In a statement during the trial of Bella’s killer, Michael McCarthy, Rachelle’s boyfriend at the time of the killing, that he punched Bella in the stomach. Because of the impact of the punch, Bella bounced off a bed. Prosecutors said that McCarthy killed Bella because he thought she was a demon. They then disposed of her body and later the remains washed up on a beach.
Michael McCarthy gets life in prison
Bella's killer was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. He will be eligible for parole after two decades of jail time. Rachelle, on the other hand, pleaded guilty for being an accessory after the fact when he helped McCarthy dispose of Bella’s body. She will be sentenced soon, possibly for a number of years in jail on top of probation.
The trial took 15 days and a team of 12 jurors worked on the case.
