Cambridge Man Accused Of Uncle's Murder Due In Court Next Month

WOBURN, MA -- A 37-year-old Cambridge man accused of killing his 73-year-old uncle with 50 blows to the head is due back in court next month to check on the status of his murder case.

In Middlesex Superior Court this week, Harold Antoine Maxwell Jr. received a status date of June 29 on charges first-degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, in connection with the murder of his 73-year-old uncle Jesse L. Maxwell Jr.

The younger Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to the court docket, Harold Maxwell, has been held without bail since his November 2013 arrest, has submitted to a buccal swab, been granted access to the jail law library, and his attorney received state funds to hire a mental-health professional to evaluate his client.

Prosecutors allege that on the morning of Nov. 25, 2103, Robert Sanchez flagged down a Cambridge Police Cruiser in front of 243 Broadway St. in Cambridge to check on 73-year-old Jesse L. Maxwell Jr. in apartment 406.

When police opened the door, they found the apartment was in disarray with items strewn on the floor. They saw blood on the wall inside the door.

There were broken televisions and cabinets in the hallway leading to the bathroom. In the bathroom, police found the body of Jesse Maxwell in the bathtub with his legs hanging over the edge.

Police noted the victim was covered in blood with "obvious trauma and injuries to his face,'' court documents state.

An autopsy revealed Jesse Maxwell sustained 50 or more blows to the head and face by a blunt or sharp object with "compression of the neck,'' according to documents.

In speaking with Robert Sanchez, police learned that he received a call from his brother, Kevin, asking him to check on Jesse Maxwell, who goes by the nickname "Mack.'' Robert Sanchez said his brother had received a call from a blocked number, which he believed came from the victim's nephew, "Ant,'' asking him to check on Mack. Robert Sanchez told police he found the victim in the bathtub and flagged down police.

Police obtained surveillance video from the apartment building, which allegedly showed Harold Maxwell entering apartment 406 at 12:34 a.m. and leave at 2:07 a.m. wearing the same clothing, including a distinctive looking jacket and a sweater wrapped around his head.

At Harold Maxwell's arraignment prosecutor Nicole Allain said surveillance footage shows Harold Maxwell peeking his head of out of his uncle's apartment in the hours after the killing and ultimately leaving.

During a search of the apartment, police found the suspect's wallet on the floor. Police also noted red-brown stains on the recliner and couch. they saw the handle to a pan and a cloth with red-brown stains- consistent with blood spatter - in front of the recliner, and a pan with red-brown stains behind the couch and recliner, according to court documents. Those same stains were on the wall above the recliner and on the walls and ceiling in the bathroom.

Harold Maxwell was arrested on Nov. 26, 2013 at his sister's Boston home and charged with murder.

Prosecutors say Harold Maxwell has served two state prison sentences for armed robbery and has 18 criminal convictions on his record.

Photo by Shutterstock.