New Bedford Man Charged in State Forest Murder Held Without Bail

PLYMOUTH (WBSM) — The New Bedford man charged with the murder of another New Bedford man at Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth has been ordered held without bail.

According to Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz, the suspect – John Geovanni Pires Monteiro Macedo, 20 – pleaded not guilty to one count of murder today in Plymouth District Court.

Macedo is charged with the shooting death of Robert Aponte-Flores, 25, of New Bedford.

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Witnesses reported seeing Macedo and Aponte-Flores engaged in an altercation at the picnic area near Fearing Pond in the Myles Standish State Forest on the afternoon of July 12. Plymouth Police were later called to the area for a reported shooting, and arrived to find Aponte-Flores suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his face, left tricep and right collarbone.

He was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, where he was pronounced dead.

Massachusetts State Police sought and obtained an arrest warrant for Macedo on July 13, and on August 5, he was arrested without incident at an apartment in New Bedford.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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