Massachusetts

Arrest Made in Brockton Homicide

A woman was arrested and charged on Saturday in the death of a man in Brockton, Massachusetts, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's office.

On Friday, at about 10:30 p.m., Kathryn Podgurski flagged down officers around the nearby Elm Court Hotel.

She led police to her apartment at 42 Green Street where, according to the district attorney, a body was discovered inside of a closet.

Podgurski was charged as an accessory after murder.

The victim was identified as Podgurski's boyfriend Joseph Shaw. His family told NBC Boston that the 44-year-old had been missing for nearly a week.

"We've been looking for him since Sunday," said Shaw's sister, Sandra Shaw. "Nobody's seen him, nobody’s heard from him. Nothing."

The victim's niece , Jacinda Shaw, told NBC Boston that, earlier in the week, she begged Podgurski for any information on her uncle's whereabouts.

"I went to the apartment and talked with her," she said. "She looked me dead in the face and started crying and said, 'I don't know what happened.'"

Shaw's niece said of her uncle, "It doesn't matter if you are young or old - if you needed anything, he would give you the shirt off his back."

Shaw, known as Joey to his friends, is a father of three. Family said he had been living with a roommate.

Several stab wounds were visible on Shaw's body, apparently consistent with homicide.

"It appears he had been dead for a period of time and had suffered significant trauma," said Plymouth District Attorney, Timothy Cruz.

Another of Shaw's sisters, Cynthia Rodriguez, said that "you watch this on the news and you expect it to happen to other families. But you never expect it to happen to your own. I'm really just kind of numb inside.  I can't believe this is happening right now."

The Plymouth County District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police are handling the investigation. Several interviews and search warrants were executed throughout the day on Saturday.

Podgurski is being held until her Monday arraignment in Brockton District Court.

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