SPRINGFIELD -- A Springfield man is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly ridiculing two handicapped brothers for picking up cans before assaulting them and their sister with a machete.
Jose R. Alicea, 23, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Springfield District Court to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault and battery on a disabled person and three counts of armed assault with intent to murder.
Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski said the defendant began taunting the brothers around 7:30 Monday night as they collected cans at Searle and Walnut Streets.
When their sister told him to knock it off, Alicea pushed both brothers and retreated to his house on Searle Street. Minutes later, he returned - holding a hammer in one hand and a machete in the other, according to Szafranski, and began swinging the machete at the heads of the three siblings.
The machete passed inches from their necks, the sister told police. If she hadn't pushed her brothers away "their heads would have been cut off," she added, according to the arrest report.
By then, a crowd had gathered and someone called 911. After hearing police sirens, Alicea tossed the hammer and machete behind a fence. When police asked where the machete was, he pointed to the fence and explained "I was trimming trees with it earlier," Szafranski said.
Arrested at the scene, Alicea was transported to police headquarters and held overnight for his arraignment Tuesday.
At the prosecutor's request, Judge Michele Ouimet-Rooke set bail at $50,000. If he posts it, he must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, observe a curfew and stay away from the alleged victims, the judge said.
Alicea is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on Aug. 31.