Man charged with killing Jeremiah Oliver, younger boy who went lacking in 2013

Native

Oliver, a 5-year-old from Fitchburg, was discovered lifeless in a suitcase on the facet of a freeway in 2014.

Greater than 9 years after Jeremiah Oliver’s physique was present in a suitcase on the facet of a freeway, a person has been arrested and charged with murdering the 5-year-old from Fitchburg. 

Alberto Sierra Jr., 32, was arrested on a warrant out of Worcester Superior Court docket, the  Worcester County District Lawyer’s workplace introduced Tuesday. Sierra, who was the boyfriend of Oliver’s mom, is dealing with one homicide cost and one other for disinterring a physique. 

Sierra is anticipated to be arraigned Thursday in Worcester Superior Court docket.

Oliver went lacking in September 2013. His loss of life and the investigation surrounding it led to intense scrutiny of the state’s Division of Kids and Households and Commissioner Olga Roche’s resignation. 

Sierra was initially charged with kidnapping and assaulting Oliver. He pleaded responsible in 2017 to assaulting Oliver’s mom and siblings. Prosecutors mentioned on the time that they had been dropping the earlier costs in order that double jeopardy wouldn’t stop future murder prosecution, The Boston Globe reported. Sierra was sentenced to 6 to seven years in state jail. 

Elsa Oliver, the boy’s mom, pleaded responsible to abusing her surviving kids in 2017. Prosecutors additionally dropped costs in opposition to Elsa for her alleged position in her son’s loss of life. Prosecutors mentioned on the time {that a} murder investigation was ongoing and that dropping the costs was crucial to stop double jeopardy. Each Sierra and Elsa Oliver had been launched from jail in 2020.

Elsa, who battled psychological well being points, was pressured to maneuver her household round often throughout Jeremiah’s childhood, the Globe reported. She met Sierra within the spring of 2013. Sierra’s earlier girlfriend had filed restraining orders in opposition to him twice, alleging that he hit her laborious sufficient to depart bruises. 

After a sequence of reportedly troubling incidents at residence, DCF representatives acquired approval to take custody of Elsa’s three kids in December 2013, however by then Jeremiah was already lacking. Jeremiah’s sister advised police that Sierra threatened Elsa with a knife, and as soon as knocked Jeremiah off a rest room. She additionally described as soon as seeing Jeremiah with a bloody pinky finger, as if it may need been severed, based on the Globe. 

A DCF social employee was discovered to have skipped eight obligatory month-to-month visits with Jeremiah, which partly coincided with the time by which he went lacking. At the very least 5 infants or preschoolers whose households had been being monitored by the DCF died throughout Roche’s tenure, the Globe reported. 

Jeremiah’s physique was discovered off Interstate 190 in Sterling in 2014. His loss of life was dominated a murder in 2016.