'I've done something bad': Teen denies killing classmate found decapitated
A 15-year-old boy has denied killing a high school friend whose headless, dismembered body was found near a river in Massachusetts.
Mathew Borges told police he had smoked marijuana with victim Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino before the 16-year-old’s body was found.
But Borges said his friend was alive when the duo parted ways.
A woman walking her dog made the horrific discovery last Thursday, finding Mr Viloria-Paulino’s headless body on a riverbank.
The 16-year-old’s head was recovered nearby while his forearms were also removed.
According to police, Borges told a witness he had “done something bad” and “stabbed a kid”.
The 15-year-old, who is being prosecuted as an adult, was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder.
In court on Monday, Borges’s lawyer did not argue for bail, with the teen being held at a youth detention facility until his next appearance on January 10.
“(Borges) is holding up well as can be expected of someone facing this kind of charge,” lawyer Edward Hayden said.
The 15-year-old, described by friends as a student with a good standing, and the victim were both sophomores at Lawrence High School.
Police say the motive for the killing is unclear and the investigation is ongoing.
Mr Viloria-Paulino's family has criticised the handling of the case, saying it took too long for officers to treat the matter as a murder rather than a teen runaway.
