Published 10:58 IST, November 26th 2019
US man sent desperate texts for help moments before double murder
Moments before a man in the US, Richard Field and his partner Lina Bolanos were murdered, he sent eight frantic messages to his friend Matthias for help.
Moments before a man in the US, Richard Field and his partner Lina Bolanos were murdered, he sent eight frantic messages to his friend Matthias Heidenreich. According to reports, the first message sent by field was "call 911" with a series of text messages stating there was a gunman in the house and that it was a very serious situation. By the time his friend Matthias Heidenreich read the messages on his phone, it was too late for the couple.
According to reports, when the police officials reached the crime scene, the murderer, Bampumim Teixeira started firing at them and was hit when the police returned fire. He was taken into custody and later taken to a hospital for treatment. Officials also recovered a carving knife from Teixeira.
The authorities at the crime scene stated that Field was lying in a pool of blood with his hands tied behind his back and Bolanos was found in one of the rooms with multiple stab wounds.
Double-murder investigation
Chief counsel for the trial, John Pappas, stated that the convict, Bampumim Teixeira, briefly worked at the Dorchester Avenue building before he murdered Field and his partner in their penthouse.
In his testimony, Heidenreich stated that he was confused for the first few minutes and later realised the seriousness of the messages. He added that Heidenreich and his girlfriend called the reception at the Macallen Building, where Field and Balanos lived, before hailing a cab to their apartment in South Boston.
The presiding jury in the case indicted Teixeira for committing first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery. If the perpetrator is convicted of his crimes, he will be slapped with a life imprisonment sentence without parole.
Testimonies
According to reports, during the initial period of the trial, the jury and judges heard testimonies from Field's brother and their neighbour who had heard the gunshots and called 911. In addition to this, the operator from 911 stated that she had already dispatched officers to the crime scene as she had received a lot of hang-up calls from the victim's apartment. Also, Jury and judges both heard a testimony from the building's manager who talked about the security measures of the property.
Prosecutors stated that the CCTV footage captured Teixeira hanging around the building, allegedly waiting for Field and Balanos to come back. According to reports, Lina Bolanos came back around 5 pm whereas Richard Field came back home around 6:30 pm.
(With inputs from agencies)
Updated 11:40 IST, November 26th 2019