BOSTON, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Edwin Alemany, accused of killing a Boston woman, attempted to commit suicide in his cell by tearing open an artery while awaiting arraignment, his lawyer said.
Alemany, 28, appeared in West Roxbury Municipal Court Wednesday with a gash on his neck, pleading not guilty to charges he attacked a woman, stabbed another and killed Amy Lord, 24, in a 20-hour crime spree in July, the Boston Globe reported.
During the arraignment defense attorney Jeffrey Denner asked Judge Kathleen Coffey to send his client for a second competency evaluation.
Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney John Pappas said Alemany allegedly forced Lord into the vestibule of her apartment building, beat her, forced her into her car and drove to five local ATMs to withdraw cash, killed her at Stoney Brook Reservation park in Boston, then drove her car to South Boston and set it afire.
Alemany has a long history of arrests and mental health problems, the Boston Herald said Thursday.
