Woman accused of killing lawyer on Charlestown houseboat pleads not guilty.

On June 13, 24‑year‑old Nora T. Nelson appeared in Suffolk Superior Court, facing upgraded charges in the tragic February death of 65‑year‑old lawyer Joseph Donahue, who was found brutally stabbed and wrapped up aboard his houseboat, the Alinea, docked off Shipway Place.

Prosecutors say Nelson also strangled one of Donahue’s dogs, which was found dead near the boat. Now indicted on murder and animal cruelty charges, she entered a firm not guilty plea and was ordered held without bail.

Back in February, police responded to a welfare check and say Nelson answered the door, gave conflicting stories (“his name was Casey … he’s at a strip club”), and seemed to be cleaning—while Donahue lay inside, wrapped in blankets and duct tape, weighted down with dumbbells. His dog Champ was later recovered from the water, presumed strangled.

An autopsy of Donohue’s body revealed that he suffered approximately 67 stab wounds. A small, triangular piece of a knife was found embedded in his forehead. A dive team in the waters outside the houseboat found the remaining portion of that knife. Two faux pink fingernails were located on Donohue’s body. Nelson identified those fingernails as her own, Assistant District Attorney Rita Claire Muse said.

You can read all the details here.