Cambridge man accused of murdering, dismembering roommate in Indiana

Police have arrested a Cambridge man suspected of murdering and dismembering his roommate six years ago in Indiana. 

John Hallett, 54, is accused of striking his roommate with a blunt object, choking him, disemboweling his body, and disposing of the remains in various public trash cans, according to Massachusetts State Police. He was arrested at his 15 Chester St. apartment in Cambridge Thursday morning.

Last year, police in Michigan City, Indiana, developed information tying Hallett to his roommate’s murder, state police said in a press release.

In a separate release, the Michigan City Police Department provided further details on the investigation, which lasted nearly one year and included law enforcement agencies from four states.

The department said Det. Lt. Anna Painter initiated a criminal investigation on Aug. 29, 2022, after receiving a tip that a homicide might have occurred inside a home in the 1000 block of West 9th Street in November 2017.

Through her investigation, Painter identified 64-year-old Michigan City resident Paul Gonzales as the victim and Hallett as a suspect, according to the press release.

“Over the course of a homicide investigation by Michigan City Police, a cadaver dog was deployed inside the former residence of Hallett and his roommate and alerted to the scent of human remains in the basement,” Massachusetts State Police said. 

Officials collected evidence that confirmed the presence of decomposing remains in the basement, and police obtained an arrest warrant charging Hallett with murder, according to state police He has also been charged with abuse of a corpse.

Michigan City police and U.S. Marshals in Indiana discovered that Hallett was living in Cambridge, and a Cambridge police detective narrowed down his address Thursday, state police said. 

After his arrest, Hallett was transported to the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction in Billerica, where he is being held without bond. He now awaits extradition to the LaPorte County Jail in Indiana.

It was not immediately clear whether Hallett had an attorney who could speak to the allegations.

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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