Fall River man accused of murdering roommate indicted, held without bail at arraignment

A Fall River man accused of murdering his roommate appeared in front of a judge in Fall River Superior Court on Friday.

According to court records, 48-year-old Robert Hodgson Jr. was indicted on a Murder charge Thursday after previously undergoing a 20-day mental health evaluation in Bridgewater to determine competency to stand trial.

Fall River Police received a 911 call at approximately 2:15 a.m. on October 6th.  The caller indicated that someone had been stabbed and killed at 57 Chesworth Street in Fall River. 

Upon arrival, Fall River Police and EMS located 53-year-old Luis Xavier Perez Miranda with injury to his chest. 

He was transported to Charlton Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced deceased a short time later. 

According to Boston.com, Hodgson placed the 911 call himself, confessing to the stabbing and claiming responsibility. The dispatcher noted the caller stating, “there’s a person killed,” followed by, “because I killed them with a knife.” He described the act as self-defense and alleged a plot by two hospitals to end his life.

Probed about the attack, Hodgson explained that the victim “lost it and lunged at me, but it was bigger than that—a buildup of everything.” He revealed they had shared the apartment for about a week after reconnecting as former cellmates, having known each other for over 15 years.

Boston.com noted that the report details that the men were by themselves when a heated verbal exchange escalated. As the victim rose from his seat, Hodgson pushed him back and struck him twice with a 14-inch Rambo-style blade. When pressed on whether he felt threatened, Hodgson insisted “they” were out to get him.

“Everything’s captured on tape—eight cameras in there,” he reportedly told officers. “We were chatting, then it turned into a fight for a minute, and he made his move… It’s all on video; you don’t need my side.”

Court records show that at Friday’s arraignment, Hodgson pled not guilty and was held without bail.

He has a pretrial conference scheduled for January 28th.