Nearly 10 years after his demise, justice could also be lastly coming for 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver.
A warrant out of Worcester Superior Court led to the arrest Wednesday of 32-year-old Alberto Sierra, Jr. He has been indicted by a grand jury for one cost of homicide and one other cost of disinterring a physique, in accordance with a press release launched by Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.’s workplace.
“Finally justice for that little boy,” mentioned Judy Reardon, who was amongst many Fitchburg residents who got here collectively to conduct searches and vigils for Jeremiah vowing to always remember. “Finally he can rest.”
Reardon, a grandmother, mentioned it’s been an “emotional rollercoaster” and she or he’s “cried and prayed” all day.
Dina Hammad, additionally a Fitchburg volunteer who as soon as looked for Jeremiah, instructed the Herald Thursday night time the arrest is “bittersweet.”
She added your entire metropolis has been “waiting for this for a long time. Our hearts are heavy,” she added, “but we’re glad there may finally be justice for Jeremiah.”
Oliver, from Fitchburg, was final seen in September 2013 however was not reported lacking till December 2013. His physique was present in a suitcase on the facet of Interstate 190 in Sterling 5 months later.
Oliver’s demise brought on statewide outcry for the grisly slaying and the way the Department of Children and Families dealt with his case when he was alive. Oliver and his siblings had been underneath state supervision and an investigation in 2014 after his demise revealed that the social employee assigned to his case had missed eight obligatory month-to-month visits with Oliver.
It led to operational adjustments for DCF in addition to the firing of his social employee and two supervisors, and the resignation of the DCF Commissioner on the time.
Sierra — who was the boyfriend of Oliver’s mom — was not in custody on the time of his arrest, though he pleaded responsible to assaulting the mom and siblings in 2017 and was sentenced to 6 to seven years in state jail.
He had beforehand been charged with kidnapping and assaulting Oliver however prosecutors dropped these costs so “double jeopardy does not attach or prevent further possible prosecution for the homicide.”
Oliver’s mom Elsa plead responsible in 2017 to baby assault and battery and reckless endangerment of a kid attributable to abusing her different two dwelling youngsters, however prosecutors dropped costs that she was concerned in his demise, saying that additionally they needed to maintain the choice of prosecuting her for his homicide. She has not been arrested or charged with any additional offenses.
Both adults had been launched from jail in 2020.
Oliver’s demise was dominated a murder in 2016. Sierra’s brother Christian was sentenced to jail for 2 and a half years in 2018 for deceptive police, serving 135 days of the sentence. His girlfriend and a mutual good friend had been additionally investigated and charged for deceptive police by mendacity about cellphone calls made on the time of Oliver’s disappearance.
Sierra was arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on Thursday and was ordered held with out bail. His subsequent courtroom look is scheduled for May 25.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”
