Bridgewater man ordered held without bail on murder charge in May bludgeoning death of neighbor

A Bridgewater man was ordered held without bail on a murder charge Monday in connection with the May death of his neighbor who was allegedly bludgeoned using a hammer, prosecutors said.

Dinis Moreira, 69, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Brockton Superior Court on charges of murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the death of Valerie Oakhem, 58, the Plymouth district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Indictments were returned last week by a Plymouth County grand jury for these charges, the Globe reported. Moreira had previously pleaded not guilty in May to murder and was held without bail with an order that he be sent for an evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.

Moreira’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening. Moreira is set to next appear in court on Nov. 16.

Bridgewater police received a call on May 26 from Moreira’s son, who had gone to his father’s apartment after his father called him and “indicated that someone he had an altercation with, was in his home and injured,” prosecutors said.

His son said he went to Moreira’s home and found an injured female party on the floor, and police then arrived and found the victim, later identified as Oakhem, with “severe trauma to her head and face,” the statement said.

Oakhem was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, prosecutors said. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her manner of death to be homicide and the cause to be head and torso injuries, according to the district attorney’s office.

An investigation by Bridgewater police and State Police found that Moreira allegedly “bludgeoned Oakhem to death with a hammer,” prosecutors said. The two lived in separate homes on Spring Street and investigators believe the incident “was a targeted act of violence and not random,” the statement said.

Man Arraigned On Charges In Murder Of Bridgewater Woman pic.twitter.com/RNccInzUlt

— DA Tim Cruz (@PlymouthCtyDAO) September 18, 2023