Trial for Lynn beating death slated to begin

SALEM – The trial of Fernando Aristy, the man charged in the beating death of a Peabody father of two that began over a parking space in Lynn last fall, is expected to start Monday morning with jury selection in Lawrence Superior Court.A 14-person jury, including two alternates, will be selected to sit on the expected eight-day jury trial before Judge Richard E. Welch, III.Aristy, 24, formerly of 59 Burma Road, Chelsea, is charged with first-degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, causing serious bodily injury and assault and battery resulting in serious bodily injury in connection with the death of Chad R. McDonald Sr. 34, of 4 Cashman Road, Peabody.McDonald, who previously ran his own auto mechanic shop on Fayette Street in Lynn, was severely beaten during a confrontation in the early morning hours of Oct. 9 in front of a warehouse, Jim Appleyard Bonded Storage, located at 37 Bennett St., in Lynn.Assistant District Attorney Maureen Leal Wilson is expected to present evidence that Aristy had been hanging out with friends on Bennett Street that night at REM Auto Body and Paint shop, drinking and playing dominoes.McDonald, who had been staying at the Appleyard Storage facility, next door to the auto shop, got into a confrontation with Aristy over parking his vehicle and blocking the front of the driveway to the storage facility.The two had argued about the issue a couple of weeks earlier.Aristy, who apparently was still angry, began arguing with McDonald about blocking access to the front entrance, when McDonald grabbed a screwdriver and he and Aristy went down to the ground, with McDonald on the bottom. Aristy allegedly grabbed a piece of wood, possible from a nearby wooden fence that separated the two businesses, and hit McDonald with it.McDonald was taken to North Shore Hospital and air-lifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he died 11 days later on Oct. 20 from injuries sustained in the fight.