The man accused of killing the mother of his three children in Boston last year was indicted Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court.
Shantel Gillespie, 30, was found dead on Dec. 12, and a criminal complaint filed in court showed she had been suffocated and had blunt-force injuries to her head. A murder charge against Eric McPhail, the father of Gillespie's children, was revealed in January.
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McPhail, 37, pleaded not guilty in Boston Municipal Court and was ordered held without bail.
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The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday that a grand jury had indicted on a homicide charge. He will be arraigned Friday in Suffolk Superior Court.
McPhail been charged with domestic violence against Gillespie, according to the complaint, and restraining orders were issued against him in 2021 and 2022.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
The couple's three children were at the apartment on Harrison Avenue the night before Gillespie's death, according to the criminal complaint, which noted that he was seen on video entering the apartment minutes before she did on the night of Dec. 11, that he left for about seven minutes just after midnight, and then left with the children on the morning of the 12th.
He came back to the apartment about 9 a.m. and left just over 90 minutes later, his last time at the apartment, according to the complaint; she was not seen leaving the apartment.
Investigators wrote that they found he dropped the children off at a home in Dorchester that evening and said he was "going away for a long time," while denying he knew where Gillespie was. And he allegedly told someone else, "This is probably the last time you are going to hear from me."
He left Gillespie's car and debit card where police later found it, investigators noted, at a garage on Francis Street — which is near Boston Children's Hospital.
Her sisters spoke outside of court Wednesday, saying that Gillespie had just completed her nursing program coursework at Labouré College of Healthcare and worked at Boston Children's Hospital.
"She will be missed dearly and our family will ensure that her memory lives on," Shanakay Gillespie said.
The hospital released a statement calling her a valued and committed member of the team.
"Her sudden passing is a tremendous loss to our organization, and we extend our deepest sympathies to her family," the Boston Children's Hospital statement said.
The apartment building where Gillespie was found dead is known as The Harris, and tenants told NBC10 Boston the incident was very surprising.
"It's obviously very upsetting, and all my condolences to the family," said building resident Victoria Izzo. "Definitely a little nerve-wracking."
"This is very dramatic and traumatic," added resident Jamelle Davis. "You would not think something like that would happen where you stay at."
"I came down to a whole bunch of cops, more cops outside," said Michael Dzialo, who also lives in the building.
"I don't quite know what to make of it, I mean a loss of life is absolutely tragic" said Fraser Simpson, another resident. "It's very surprising and very different to anything I would have expected in this neighborhood."
