Crime & Safety

56-Year-old Man Held Without Bail in Medfield Stabbing

Matthew T. Brady, 56, will appear Wednesday at a 'dangerousness hearing' in Dedham District Court. This will determine if he should continue to be held without bail.

DEDHAM — A 56-year-old man is being held without bail, charged in the stabbing of an acquaintance in Medfield, who told police he had allowed him to stay with him at his apartment in town.

Matthew T. Brady, who has no identifiable address, pleaded not guilty Monday to a felony charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, at an arraignment hearing in Dedham District Court. He will reappear Wednesday for a 'dangerousness hearing," at which time the judge will determine if he should continue to be held without bail because he poses a threat to public safety.

According to records filed in court by Medfield Police, Brady stabbed the 45-year-old victim with a small Swiss Army knife attached to a keychain. The abdominal wound bled so severely that the victim was med-flight evacuated Friday night to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, according to the records.

He is expected to recover.

The assault was reported about 10 p.m. Friday, on North Meadows Road near the old dump, according to police.

In court Monday, the prosecutor argued that Brady should be held without bail, based on the severity of the crime and his past criminal record. District Judge James McGuinness agreed. The most recent record, prior to this arrest, was in 2010, according to the files. Brady, who then lived in Foxboro, pleaded guilty to charges of assault, resisting arrest and OUI liquor, 2nd offense, and was sentenced to two years. He served four months, and was released on probation.

Attorney Francis DiMento, appointed by the court to represent Brady, said his client acted in self-defense. The victim had beaten Brady, DiMento said, and he filed a motion following the arraignment hearing to allow photographs of his client to document the injuries. 

According to court files, Medfield Police had taken photos of Brady the night of his arrest, which a police narrative said showed welts on his body, a cut on his left forearm and a swollen hand.

DiMento argued in court that the photos taken by police are insufficient. "The photographs don't do it justice," he said. "This is a case of self defense."

The assault initially came in to police as an altercation. A driver had told police he had almost hit three men in dark clothing who were in the middle of North Meadows Road, according to a statement filed by Medfield Police Sgt. Daniel Burgess.
 While Burgess was en route to the scene, a call to 911 was placed by Brady, saying he had been assaulted. When Burgess arrived, Brady was gone, and an officer was attending to the victim. Burgess found Brady a short distance later, walking along Route 27. He told Burgess the victim had 'jumped' him, the police report states.

Police recovered the small Swiss Army knife from his belongings.

Another officer spoke to the victim at the scene, according to the court records. The victim told police that Brady was angry at him because he had told him to leave his apartment. He had taken him in, he said, but Brady had become confrontational and was causing problems. He said he and another man were walking south on North Meadows Road Friday night, when Brady approached him and started the confrontation. The victim said Brady pulled out a four-inch knife, and started swiping at him.

The other man was identified in court documents as a witness, but he told police he saw nothing, the records indicate. The 41-year-old witness also left the scene of the stabbing Friday, police reported, despite being told by the first responding officer to stay put.


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