Fall River woman indicted in Brockton road rage murder

BROCKTON — A woman accused of fatally stabbing another motorist following a road rage incident has been indicted.

A Plymouth County grand jury returned indictments Tuesday charging 32-year-old Jacqueline Avelino Mendes of Fall River with one count each of murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The indictment stems from a June 28 confrontation near Belmont and Grafton streets in Brockton.

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An officer came upon the scene at the intersection about 3:42 p.m. that day. Police simultaneously received multiple 911 calls reporting a stabbing.

Police found a woman with a stab wound bleeding heavily from the right side of her neck.

The victim, 41-year-old Jennifer Landry of Brockton, was treated on scene, then taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton. She was later flown by medical helicopter to Boston Medical Center for further treatment, where she died the next day.

A witness told police that the suspect fled in a vehicle, possibly a gray SUV, with Virginia license plates. While officers were still on scene, a woman showed up at the police station lobby.

"I believe that suspect from Belmont Street just walked into the lobby," an officer at the station told investigators at the scene over his radio.

Prosecutors say that woman, Mendes, reported to police that she was in an altercation with a motorist in the Belmont Street area. She told police there was no crash, but there "may have been" a stabbing involved.

"As part of their investigation, state police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County district attorney’s office and Brockton police developed information that a traffic confrontation ensued between Mendes and Landry prior to the stabbing," said Beth Stone, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Timothy Cruz. "Mendes allegedly stabbed Landry with a knife and re-entered her vehicle and fled the scene."

Assistant District Attorney Richard Linehan said at Mendes' arraignment in Brockton District Court that a witness saw the women wrestling and throwing punches before Mendes returned to her car, saying, “I’ve got something for you, bitch.”

Attorney Joseph Krowski Jr., who is representing Mendes, described Landry as the “initial aggressor” in the fight, exiting her vehicle after Mendes honked at Landry for repeatedly braking in front of her on a residential street.

Krowski said his client stabbed Landry in a "single defensive stabbing motion" in response to Landry raising her hand while in possession of a knife.

Police later found an “unopened” knife near the intersection of Belmont and Grafton streets, where the fight took place.

Krowski asked for Mendes' bail to be set at $25,000 during her arraignment, but the judge granted the prosecutor's request to hold her in custody without bail. Mendes remained in custody as of Tuesday.

The indictment moves the case from Brockton District Court to Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton, where more serious crimes are prosecuted and penalties are more severe if defendants are convicted.

Mendes will be arraigned on the charges in the indictment in Brockton Superior Court at a later date.

Senior reporter Cody Shepard can be reached by email at cshepard@enterprisenews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @cshepard_ENT.