Bail set at $100,000 cash after alleged death of man over meal preparation in Plymouth County

PLYMOUTH – Bail has been set for a man charged in connection with the death of his roommate in Marshfield, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has announced. 

Richard Lombardi, 65, has pleaded not guilty to one count each of Involuntary Manslaughter and Assault and Battery on a Person Over 60 in the death of his roommate 80-year-old Frank Griswold. 

The Commonwealth moved for a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Wednesday in Plymouth District Court. The Commonwealth argued that there was no recklessness prong in the charge of Assault and Battery on a Person Over 60. Judge Scott Peterson disagreed, and found that there was no qualifying offense to proceed with the dangerousness hearing, He set bail at $100,000 cash. The Commonwealth had requested that Lombardi be held on $1,000,000 cash bail, with the conditions of release that Lombardi wear a GPS monitoring bracelet and adhere to a curfew. The Court adopted the conditions. 

On Wednesday, November 27, at just after 4:00 p.m., Marshfield Police received a 911 call for a report of an unconscious male on the floor of the kitchen located at 853 Main Street. Police and emergency medical personnel responded and located the victim unconscious and bleeding from the head. He was transported to South Shore Hospital where he died of his injuries. He was identified as 80-year-old Frank Griswold. 

Marshfield Police contacted the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit Assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and began the investigation. 

Preliminarily, through their investigation, detectives found that Lombardi – Griswold’s long-term roommate – shoved the victim following a disagreement over holiday meal preparations. Griswold subsequently fell to the floor and struck his head, suffered a laceration to his forehead, and a fractured neck. 

Lombardi is next scheduled to appear in court on December 19. 

This case was investigated by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and the Marshfield Police Department.