WESTFORD, Mass. – An Easthampton man has been sentenced to seven to eight years in state prison for destroying evidence and improperly disposing of the body of a woman after she died of an overdose, leaving her body on an embankment in Westford without telling the district authorities. said the lawyer.
Daniel Perras, 59, pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court to destruction of evidence and improper disposal of a body in connection with leaving the body of Melissa Mestre on Providence Road in Westford, disposing of her belongings and never notify the authorities of his death, Middlesex County. Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement Monday.
Perras was also sentenced to three years of probation “and beyond” for improper disposal of a dead body, Ryan said.
On Feb. 2, 2019, a Westford resident walking his dog along Providence Road found Melissa Mestre’s body down an embankment on the side of the road, Ryan said.
When police arrived, they found Mestre with “obvious signs of death,” Ryan said.
Mestre had no identification and “investigators initially had no information about who he was, how he died or how he ended up on the side of the road,” Ryan said.
Investigators later identified Mestre and Perras, and learned that Mestre and Perras had recently met and that on Jan. 31, 2019, Perras had picked up Mestre from his home in Springfield, Ryan said.
Perras drove from Springfield to the Haverhill area, where he sold “a large amount of heroin” to another person, Ryan said. After this heroin sale, Perras began driving to western Massachusetts.
While driving, Perras realized Mestre had died of a drug overdose, Ryan said. He left the freeway onto Boston Road in Westford.
Perras “drove past the fire station and made several turns until he eventually ended up in an isolated area on Providence Road,” Ryan said. There, Perras removed Mestre’s body from his car and left it down the embankment on the side of the road.
Perras left with Mestre’s belongings, which included his purse and cell phone. Perras never alerted authorities to Mestre’s death or where he left her, Ryan said.
Ryan said investigators were able to track Perras along Route 2 to the French King Bridge in Erving. While on that bridge, Perras disposed of Mestre’s belongings, including her purse and cell phone. Then Perras went to his house.
Mestre was born in Pittsfield and graduated from Monument Mountain High School, according to his obituary.
“Melissa had a laugh that was immediately relatable and a smile that was contagious,” her obituary states. “He loved all music and was passionate about it. His love of music matched his love of animals, especially horses, and his dog.”
“As a cancer survivor, Melissa was a fighter,” her obituary states. “She triumphed over life’s challenges, but her challenges did not define her, as she was defined by her love for her children and her family.”
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