Thursday, 4:30 PM
Man held without bail for '95 slaying
(Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)
More than a decade after the crime, Arnaldo Lopes was arraigned today in Suffolk Superior Court for the stabbing death Robert Mendes.
By Brian Ballou, Globe Staff
A Suffolk Superior court magistrate ordered a man accused of murder to be held without bail today for a slaying 12 years ago that sparked a violent feud between factions in the Cape Verdean community.
On the lam for more than a decade, Arnaldo "Nardo" Lopes walked into a courtroom today wearing an olive-green suit and wire-rim glasses. Lopes, 28, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for the stabbing of Robert Mendes, 23, on Oct. 10, 1995.
Assistant District Attorney Dennis H. Collins told the magistrate that Lopes was on Wendover Street the night of the crime and had threatened several individuals in the area. Collins said that a fight broke out between Lopes and another man and Lopes pulled a knife.
Collins said the other man backed away from Lopes and picked up a stick to defend himself. Mendes appeared on the scene and approached Lopes. Collins said Lopes turned on Mendes and drove the knife 5 inches into his chest, puncturing his heart, before fleeing on foot.
Collins said Lopes called 911 shortly after the stabbing, identifying himself by name, contending he had acted in self-defense. Boston police obtained a warrant for Lopes's arrest two days after the killing, but he vanished. After a grand jury investigation that lasted more than five years, Lopes was indicted on June 1, 2001.
He was arrested on April 30 at Baltimore Washington International Airport after he arrived on a flight from Jamaica.
Relatives for both families attended this morning’s arraignment but refused to comment. Lopes's next court date is scheduled for Sept.18.
