Chelsea Man Indicted on Murder Charge

A Chelsea man has been indicted on a charge of murder in connection with the Jan. 3 fatal stabbing of Jessica Cormier, 20, of Everett.

Clarence Earl Berry, 60, of Chelsea, was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury on a change of murder in the first degree.

He will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on April 9 at 10 a.m.

According to authorities, at approximately 6:44 pm on Jan. 3, Everett Police responded to 83 Pearl Street for a report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, officers located a female victim, identified as Jessica Cormier, 20, of Everett, evidencing obvious stab wounds.  She was transported to Mass General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was stab wounds to the victim’s heart and chest.  The manner of death was ruled a homicide.

An immediate investigation was commenced by Everett Police and the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. It is alleged that Berry and the victim were known to one another and that the violent attack occurred outside on Pearl Street, not far from the victim’s home, shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 3. A family member had heard screaming, went downstairs to the apartment’s foyer and found the victim on the floor.

Police executed a search warrant at Berry’s residence in Chelsea and evidence was recovered.  Preliminary testing on some of the evidence tested positive for human blood.  The defendant was arrested outside his residence in Chelsea at approximately 3 pm on January 6.  He was arraigned on January 9 in Malden District Court where Judge Dominic Paratore ordered him held without bail.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.

The Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case is Elizabeth Keeley. The Victim Witness Advocate is Karen Fahy. This case was investigated by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Everett Police.

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