Resident of YMCA rooming house beaten to death with bat

LAWRENCE, Mass. – A tenant of a YMCA rooming house in Massachusetts has been charged with murder in the death of a fellow resident, who apparently was bludgeoned with an aluminum baseball bat.

Sixty-one-year-old Martin Rodriguez was arraigned Wednesday in the death of 53-year-old Jose Burgos. The prosecution and the defence agreed Rodriguez would be held without bail.

Police say Burgos’ body was found Tuesday in his room at a YMCA-run rooming house in Lawrence. Burgos had suffered a massive head wound.

The Eagle-Tribune reports a baseball bat with apparent blood stains was found near Burgos’ body. Police say Rodriguez’s hands tested positive for blood.

Investigators say surveillance video shows Rodriguez and another man leaving Burgos’ room after apparently drinking wine together.

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Information from: The Eagle-Tribune, http://www.eagletribune.com