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Maine man found dead in car outside South Shore Hospital had been strangled, prosecutors say
Prosecutors allege Christopher Caron told people that Declan Perry had suffered a fatal drug overdose, but an autopsy indicated otherwise.
A Scituate man was ordered held without bail Tuesday after he allegedly murdered a 27-year-old Maine chef whose body was found in a parked car outside South Shore Hospital.
Christopher Caron, 42, pleaded not guilty to killing Declan Perry, who was found wrapped in blankets and duct tape in the backseat of a car outside the hospital’s emergency room Aug. 23.
Prosecutors allege Caron told people that Perry had suffered a fatal drug overdose, but an autopsy indicated Perry had actually been beaten and strangled, according to The Boston Globe. In courtroom video captured by WBZ, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague rattled off a list of Perry’s injuries, including “deep hemorrhaging of his chest, back, and the back of his head from blunt force trauma,” as well as injuries to the face and neck.
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“The medical examiner said all of these injuries to the neck were due to strangulation,” Sprague said. “All of these injuries, according to the medical examiner, occurred prior to death.”
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Speaking to reporters following the arraignment, Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz said Perry’s injuries were particularly telling.
“You heard the injuries that we have from a preliminary medical examiner’s report at this time, and those are certainly very discerning, which led to us, among other things, regarding that this is a homicide and not just a drug overdose,” he said, per video from WCVB.
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But Caron’s attorney, G. Makis Antzoulatos, accused authorities of being too hasty.
“We are confident that as the facts unfold in this case, this will be an example of the Massachusetts State Police jumping to conclusions and charging someone with murder when the evidence makes clear that what took place, while a tragedy, was not a crime,” Antzoulatos said in a statement.
Prosecutors allege Caron and Perry texted about plans to hang out and take fentanyl and cocaine together on Aug. 22, the Globe reported. According to Sprague, Caron warned Perry that the drugs would be potent, writing, “You gotta go easy on this [expletive] too, delete all these messages.”
The pair met at Caron’s home in Scituate, and Caron allegedly made a Google search for “7-11 Narcan” around 11:40 p.m., according to the Globe. Sprague said Caron also messaged a female friend asking her to bring Narcan to his home shortly after 1 a.m.
According to prosecutors, Caron’s friend arrived shortly after 3 a.m. to find Perry lying unconscious on the floor of Caron’s basement bedroom. Despite three doses of Narcan, Perry appeared dead by morning. Caron’s friend repeatedly told him to call an ambulance for Perry, but Caron allegedly refused to do so because he feared his mother and grandmother would kick him out of the home.
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Sprague said Caron made another search on his phone at 6:59 a.m. for “when you die, how long until you poop and pee yourself.” She alleged Caron loaded Perry into his car with the help of neighbors who were led to believe the man’s wrapped body was a hockey mannequin.
“And he made several jokes and comments saying, ‘Oh, looks like a dead body, huh?’” Sprague said, according to the Globe. She said one of the neighbors recognized what appeared to be a human forearm under the blankets.
Prosecutors said Caron drove the body to South Shore Hospital, where he told staff someone needed medical attention in a car outside and promptly fled on foot. Caron turned himself in to Scituate police Saturday afternoon, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
A search of Caron’s home allegedly turned up red-brown stains on a couch and carpet in his bedroom, the Globe reported. He is due back in court Sept. 29.
Perry’s Facebook profile indicates he worked as a chef in Maine. His father, Brendan Perry, posted a public tribute to him Aug. 25.
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“Saying that Declan is gone doesnt seem possible,” Brendan Perry wrote. “Losing him hurts so much and Heidi Connor and I will not rush the pain we feel. We dont need to. Our pain is love. The support has been amazing and demonstrates how much people love him and us. God Bless.”
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