Business owner testifies in Lynn murder trial

SALEM – A witness described a night of drinking and dominoes before a fight over a long-running parking dispute that resulted in a Peabody man being allegedly beaten to death and a Chelsea man facing a charge of first-degree murder.”All of us were drinking Corona and time flew – (we) played until 2 a.m., something like that,” Juan Delrio testified Friday in Salem Superior Court during the murder trial of Fernando Aristy. “I left everybody there talking loud, arguing ? The next day, “(the suspect) came over to my house in Chelsea and said I had a fight with the guy next door.”Aristy, 25, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the alleged beating of Chad. R. McDonald Sr., 34, on Oct. 9, 2010. McDonald died from injuries from the alleged incident on Oct. 20. Police say that Aristy repeatedly struck McDonald several times in the head with a wooden board outside a 37 Bennett St. warehouse after the two fought over a parking space. Defense Attorney Raymond Buso said in opening statements Thursday that Aristy did strike McDonald but only with his fists and in self-defense, thinking McDonald was using a screwdriver as a weapon.Delrio identified himself as the owner of REM Auto Body, formerly located at 47 Bennett St., and next door to a warehouse McDonald used. Delrio testified that on the night of Oct. 9, 2010, he and several friends decided to play dominoes at his shop after work beginning around 8:30 p.m. He said McDonald was one of several people who stopped in throughout the night.Delrio told Assistant District Attorney Maureen Wilson-Leal that the beginning of his and McDonald’s relationship was “a little bit rough,” when McDonald started using the warehouse in Fall 2009.McDonald complained about cars blocking access to the warehouse, then started parking his own truck in front of Delrio’s shop door as retaliation, Delrio said.”I went over and told him I can’t be like a camera 24-hours and see who’s parked in front of your door or who’s parked in front of my door,” Delrio said. “Afterwards it was cool.”But Delrio said the parking issue had also caused conflict between Aristy and McDonald.”(Aristy’s) jeep was parked in front of the white door and (McDonald) wanted to move something and couldn’t find the owner” of the jeep, Delrio testified. Aristy saw McDonald wrapping a chain around the bumper of the jeep to move it and confronted him, Delrio said. Delrio said that argument continued Oct. 9, 2010, as he locked his shop and went home.Before the afternoon session, Buso said police had not initially thought the beating would lead to a death. Under cross examination, Delrio told the courtroom that Aristy had not seemed overly excited or nervous the next day and showed him scratches from a fight “with the guy next door – he probably didn’t know his name,” Delrio said.But earlier testimony by Lynn Police Officer Tim Donovan described a crime scene with two pools of blood, a 16-inch long 41/4-inch wide wooden board with blood on it and a three-inch long screwdriver.Outside the courtroom, the victim’s wife, Michelle McDonald, said the trial had reignited the pain of the incident.”The pictures of him, brings it back like it was yesterday,” she said. “I thought that I had had some time to heal. We just pray that justice is served.”Aristy’s family – who sat in the front row on the other side of the courtroom as McDonald’s family – declined to comment after the proceedings. Family members spoke with Aristy in Spanish and he waved goodbye to them as court officers cuffed him and led him from the courtroom.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].