Bridgewater man pleads not guilty to murder after 58-year-old Valerie Oakhem bludgeoned to death

BROCKTON – A man has been arraigned on charges that he bludgeoned his Bridgewater neighbor to death with a hammer, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has announced.

Today, 69-year-old Dinis Moreira of Bridgewater, was arraigned in Brockton Superior Court on one count each of Murder and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held without bail. Moreira is next scheduled to appear in court on November 16.

At approximately 12:34 a.m. on May 26, 2023, Bridgewater Police received a call on their business line from Dinis Moreira’s son. He reported that he received a call from his father, Dinis Moreira, who indicated that someone he had an altercation with, was in his home and injured. This prompted the son to go to his father’s home where he found an injured female party on the kitchen floor. Bridgewater Police responded to the scene moments later and found a female victim with severe trauma to her head and face. The victim was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton where she was pronounced deceased from her injuries. She was identified as 58-year-old Valerie Oakhem.

Bridgewater Police then contacted Massachusetts State Police to begin the investigation. The investigation determined that Moreira allegedly bludgeoned Oakhem to death with a hammer. Both Moreira and the victim lived in separate homes on Spring Street. Investigators believe that this was a targeted act of violence and not random.

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner took jurisdiction of the case and determined the cause of death to be head and torso injuries and the manner is homicide.

Assistant District Attorneys Jeremy Beth Kusmin and Kevin O’Leary are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by Massachusetts State Police and Bridgewater Police.