MA man held in slayings
of mother,
ex-girlfriend

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) - A New Bedford man has been ordered held without bail in the fatal stabbings of his mother and his ex-girlfriend.

Gary Gomes is charged in the deaths of 61-year-old Catherine Gomes, his mother, and 48-year-old Robyn Mendes, his former girlfriend.

A spokesman for Bristol District Attorney Sam Sutter said both women were stabbed multiple times at Catherine Gomes' apartment. The bodies were found after the building's landlord smelled natural gas.

Gary Gomes was arrested late Tuesday night after police found him barricaded in a home where Mendes lived. He was arraigned Wednesday in New Bedford District Court.

The 35-year-old Gomes has a lengthy record, including convictions for kidnapping and attempted murder. He had recently been released after serving time on a 2006 conviction of assault with intent to murder Mendes.