A woman who was attacked by a man in Boston in September grabbed something before she slipped into unconsciousness — a wallet that included an identification card with the name of Edwin Alemany in it, according to Boston police and a law enforcement source.
Alemany, 28, is a person of interest in this week’s slaying of Amy E. Lord, 24, of South Boston, a law enforcement official has told the Globe. On Tuesday morning, Lord was beaten, kidnapped, and forced to withdraw money from five Boston banks before she was murdered and her body was left at Stony Brook Reservation in Hyde Park.
Alemany, according to the summary of his criminal history presented in South Boston Municipal Court Thursday, was never charged in the Sept. 28 attack, which happened as the woman walked along Parker Hill Avenue at around 2:28 a.m.
Boston police released a redacted version of the report, which did not include the victim’s name or the name on the ID card found in the wallet. But a law enforcement official confirmed that Edwin Alemany’s name was on the card.
According to the report, a detective from Area B responded to the scene and “took possession of the wallet.â€
It is not clear from the report what happened to the investigation into the attack. The attack and Alemany’s possible role in it was first reported by the Boston Herald. Boston police have scheduled a press conference for 5:30 p.m. to discuss the investigation into Lord’s murder.
According to the report, the woman was walking on Parker Hill Avenue when she was attacked “from behind and strangled.’’ The woman told police that “as she was falling to the ground, she grabbed an unknown object’’ before she fell unconscious.
When she awoke, she discovered she was holding something in her hand, police said. “As she regained conciousness, she had a wallet not belonging to her with an identification card ... with other personal papers.â€
The woman reported her purse had been stolen. She described her attacker as a “medium skinned male, approximately 6 feet, and wearing a dark hoody and dark pants. ‘’
A 28-year-old former busboy with a long history of violence, Alemany has already been arrested for attacks on two women in the hours both before and after the fatal attack on Lord on Tuesday. But so far he has not been charged with murdering Lord.
Also today, despite rain and gray skies, about 60 South Boston residents showed up to hear Mayor Thomas M. Menino speak on West Broadway this afternoon.
Menino reassured them that they live in a safe neighborhood, reiterating that there is only one suspect and that he is in custody, an apparent reference to Alemany. Police are awaiting DNA test results before making an arrest, he said.
“I want folks to know that the city is active in this investigation, he said. “We will not let one person prevent us from going about our daily activities.â€
Nearby Boston police had set up a tent and tables, where officers handed out brochures detailing how to contact police and how to be a good witness. Also available were small, blue whistles, which were snatched up by the dozen.
Peggy Gill, 64, who has lived in South Boston all her life, came to pick up several whistles for herself and her three grandchildren. She said news of Amy Lord’s murder made her feel sick and increasingly paranoid. She said the neighborhood used to feel safe – a “wonderful place to grow up†– but now she fears for her daughter and her grandchildren.
“I want this to be a nice place for them to grow up,†she said. “Something has to be done.â€
She said she had made several adjustments since hearing about the murder, making sure to lock all her doors and close all her windows, even when it is hot outside.
Her daughter places a chair up against her back door every night for extra protection against intruders, she said. And Gill said she never takes her eyes off her grandchildren.
Mary Glynn bit back tears as she stood by the tent. The 57-year-old said she has lived in Boston for 50 years but has never seen the neighborhood as broken as this.
On the morning Lord’s body was discovered, Glynn originally thought the body might belong to her 32-year-old daughter, who walks her dog every morning at 5:30 a.m.
“My heart is broken,†she said. “It could have been her. I don’t know what this place is coming too.â€
Glynn picked up a few whistles from the table. She said she had advised her daughter to walk the dog later in the morning, no earlier than 8 a.m.
Before Glynn leaves for work, she makes sure her doors are locked – something she never used to do, she said. The dog she shares with her daughter is small comfort. “He’s a Yorkie,†she said. “But he thinks he’s a pitbull.â€
Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com. John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe.
