Neither of the two arrested are charged with the woman's murder. They’re charged with financial crimes in connection to her death. But on Thursday, during the arraignment of one of those two defendants — 45-year-old John Harper — prosecutors did say that he's a 'person of interest' inInvestigators said Mello had been dead for 'quite some time' before police found her body inside her Lake Street home in Weymouth on Monday.
The Norfolk County District Attorney's Office has characterized Mello's death as an 'apparent homicide.' Harper, along with his co-defendant and girlfriend, 44-year-old Kelly Shaw, had been living with Mello. The 45-year-old has a long criminal record and substance abuse issues, prosecutors said. He was arraigned on multiple charges, including larceny and forging checks. Shaw was not arraigned Thursday because she had to be taken to the hospital for an unknown reason. She's expected to be arraigned Frida