
A woman from Fall River, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in the death of her boyfriend’s autistic son, David Almond. Jaclyn Coleman, 28, took custody of David and his twin brother Michael, who was also diagnosed with autism, just months before David’s death. His father, John Almond, was also sentenced to life imprisonment earlier this month. Both boys were found emaciated and covered in vomit in the family’s Green Street apartment after an officer responded to a call. The apartment was found to contain over 1,000 bags of fentanyl and heroin, and it was later discovered that both boys had fentanyl in their systems. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said both boys were subjected to “inhumane neglect” at the hands of their father and Coleman, who have been held responsible for their deaths. Prior to moving in with the couple, both boys were in perfect health and described as “happy and thriving” at a school for children with disabilities. A report by the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate concluded that David’s death was the result of a “multi-system failure exacerbated by the pandemic”.