Sherell Pringle

Boyfriend of Woburn Woman Found Dead in Marsh Has Heated Court Appearance

More than 35 family and friends of Sherell Pringle's attended the hearing, and cries of "Murderer!" broke out in the room during Bruce Maiben's brief proceeding

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The boyfriend of a Woburn woman who was found dead in a marsh earlier this week by worried family and friends faced a judge in a packed Massachusetts courtroom Thursday.

Bruce Maiben, 44, appeared in Lynn District Court on charges of larceny over $1,200, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice in the investigation of the death of 40-year-old Sherell Pringle. Maiben, who was arrested on Wednesday night, has not been charged in the death of Pringle.

A judge ordered Maiben be held without bail until a dangerousness hearing Tuesday, prosecutors said, after denying a request from Maiben's attorneys that he not be shown in court. More than 35 family and friends of Pringle's attended the hearing, and cries of "Murderer!" broke out in the room during the brief proceeding.

Pringle's body was discovered by family and friends on Tuesday in the Rumney Marsh Reservation off of Route 107 in Saugus. The Essex County District Attorney's office has called Pringle's death suspicious and suspects foul play in her death.

A plea of not guilty was entered on Maiben's behalf. His attorney, John Morris, said outside of court Thursday that the man did not kill Pringle.

"The government doesn't have much to go on," Morris said, adding, "I've seen no evidence that supports the allegations they put forth here."

Family and friends of Pringle say they used technology to find out where her phone was -- a catch basin on the side of the road -- and backtracked from there. Then they saw a purse by the road.

"What hurts the most is, I told these cops from the jump to locate Bruce Maiben.," said Pringle's son, Jahmani Larionne. "I told them Day 1, you need to located Bruce Maiben. He lives in Lynn. You need to ping his phone and find him."

Pringle was originally reported missing on Sunday to police in Lynn by her family after she didn't return home from a date Saturday night.

Sherell Pringle, 40, was found dead along Route 107 in Saugus Tuesday. It was her family that found her body, and they say investigators didn't do enough after she disappeared.

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