The case of a slain teachers aide has caused much concern in the Boston suburb of Worcester, MA since Sandra Hehir’s body was found in her home on February 5th of this year. Last week the man who the police and the Worcester district attorney think is responsible for the popular teachers aide’s death was arrested when his DNA tied him to the crime scene. Jose Melendez is a 54 year old illegal immigrant with a long history of running afoul of the law. Here are the top 5 things you should know about this man, his victim and this case.

1. He had a criminal history reaching back at least 17 years in this country-In 2014 Mr. Melendez defaulted on his probation in a breaking and entering case and he also faces two drug cases in the Boston suburb of Worcester. He evidently also faced criminal charges in Florida and New York and was even a suspect in a rape case as far back as 2000
2. He hid behind a door in the courtroom during his arraignment-Mr. Melendez reportedly hid behind a door in the courtroom during his arraignment this past Monday, after the judge allowed his attorney Michael Hussey (in the video below) to shield him from public view.

3. Sandra “Buffy” Hehir was a Special Education teaching assistant known for her smile and leaves behind four siblings, three sisters and a brother.

4. Worcester MA, Superintendent Maureen Binienda, had taught Hehir when she attended a local high school in 1985 and she spoke about their popular teachers aide in a press conference after her murder remembering her former student as an “excellent athlete and a very kind person”.

5. The Hehir family is seeking justice for Sandra, they thanked their local police department for their help in the investigation and were anxious to see justice done in this case. Their full statement reads:

“The family would like to thank the Worcester Police Department Detective Bureau for their hard work, especially Sgt. Mark Richardson. We would also like to thank the Worcester School Department, especially Maureen Binienda, for the kindness and compassion shown to us during this difficult tragedy. We are grateful that a suspect has been arrested and we are looking forward to justice for Buffy.”

For my part I sincerely hope that the Hehir family and the rest of the Worcester community is able to see justice done when this man is punished for his crime(s) and is eventually deported-perhaps for good this time-back to his country of origin.