From the Borden trial to modern criminal, civil, election, and post-conviction proceedings, New Bedford Superior Court has been the setting for cases that drew local, statewide, and at times national attention.
Commonwealth v. Lizzie A. Borden — 1893
The courthouse’s most famous case. Borden was tried for the murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River and was acquitted on June 20, 1893.
Commonwealth v. Christina Martin — 1992–1998
Known in the press as the “Jell-O murder” case. Martin’s first-degree murder conviction was later set aside after challenges involving toxicology evidence and trial representation; the case ultimately ended with a manslaughter plea and time served.
Commonwealth v. George Perrot — post-conviction proceedings, 2016
Perrot, convicted in a 1985 rape case, won a new trial after questions arose over microscopic hair-comparison testimony. His New Bedford Superior Court proceedings became part of the national re-examination of older FBI hair-analysis evidence.
Commonwealth v. Robert Roy — 2010
A cold-case murder trial concerning the 1986 disappearance and death of Marni Larkin Roy. The prosecution returned to a decades-old case in one of the historic courthouse’s final years of regular criminal trials.
Commonwealth v. George Duarte — 2010
Duarte was convicted in the shooting death of 15-year-old Edwin Medina. Contemporary reporting identified the case as the final criminal trial held in the historic County Street courthouse before criminal sessions were moved.
Commonwealth v. Leonard Gonsalves — 2008
A first-degree murder prosecution that ended in an acquittal. The case received attention in part because defense counsel secured a not-guilty verdict in a serious homicide prosecution.
Commonwealth v. Sayyid Coggins — 2016
A murder-by-fire prosecution that ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, demonstrating the continuing role of New Bedford Superior Court in major Bristol County proceedings.
Wethington v. De Terra / Fairhaven Election Dispute — 2013
A one-vote Board of Health election led to a Superior Court challenge over disputed ballots. Judicial review ultimately turned the contested race into a courtroom examination of how individual ballots should be counted.
Aaron Hernandez Evidence-Preservation Proceeding — 2017
After former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez died in prison, his family sought a court order in New Bedford requiring preservation of evidence surrounding his death. The hearing drew national media attention.
Commonwealth v. E.J. — 2010
A witness-intimidation prosecution arising from statements made during a police investigation. The court allowed a required finding of not guilty at the close of the Commonwealth’s case.
Commonwealth v. L.J. — 2010
A Superior Court jury case involving serious armed-assault and robbery-related allegations. The defendant was acquitted, adding another notable defense verdict to the courthouse’s late criminal-era record.
Commonwealth v. Gerard T. Ouimette
A murder prosecution remembered for testimony involving an FBI wiretap, reflecting the increasingly sophisticated investigative evidence that appeared in twentieth-century Superior Court trials.
Commonwealth v. Bruno Lopes — 2024
A retrial on illegal-firearm charges following a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling. A New Bedford Superior Court jury convicted Lopes after a three-day trial.
Commonwealth v. Nehemya Smith — 2024
A two-week trial involving an elder of the Twelve Tribes religious community. A New Bedford Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts on 25 indictments involving sexual offenses against minors.
Commonwealth v. Daniel Arruda — 2025
After a jury trial in New Bedford Superior Court, Arruda was convicted of multiple sexual offenses involving his daughters, including aggravated rape of a child.
