Fall River man pleads guilty in teenage son’s death

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — The Fall River man accused of causing the death of his 14-year-old autistic son more than two years ago will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

John Almond, 35, pleaded guilty Friday in Fall River Superior Court to charges stemming from the October 2020 death of David Almond.

“I’m accepting responsibility for the crimes I committed,” an emotionless John Almond told the court.

An officer who responded to the family’s Green Street apartment found the emaciated teenager unresponsive and covered in his own vomit, according to authorities.

The officer said six people, including David and his twin brother Michael, lived in the one-bedroom apartment, which was in abhorrent condition.

In court, prosecutors compared the squalor to the likes of Auschwitz.

Officers found more than 1,000 bags of fentanyl and heroin inside the apartment, police said. It was later determined that both David and Michael had fentanyl in their systems.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said David and his brother, who was also diagnosed with autism, were subjected to “inhumane neglect” at the hands of their father. Prosecutors said John Almond took custody of the teenagers just months before David’s death.

Prior to moving back in with their father, prosecutors said both David and Michael were in perfect health. The brothers were described as being “happy and thriving” at a school for children with disabilities.

John Almond and his girlfriend Jaclyn Coleman were charged with second-degree murder and neglect of a disabled person resulting in serious bodily injury. Both initially pleaded not guilty.

John Almond was sentenced to life in prison and will be eligible for parole in 20 years.

Quinn said he’s pleased with the sentence.

“It is important that he accepted responsibility,” Quinn said. “He deserves the life sentence he received.”

Coleman is slated to go to trial in June. Quinn wouldn’t speculate on whether she’s considered pleading guilty as well.

The Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate released a scathing report soon after David’s death, which concluded it was the result of a “multi-system failure exacerbated by the pandemic.”