Mashpee trial verdict: Eli Perry found guilty of manslaughter, not first-degree murder

A Barnstable Superior Court jury on Friday found the Mashpee man who was charged with killing his father and burying his body off-Cape guilty of manslaughter, which his lawyer had argued for while the prosecution sought a first-degree murder conviction.

The jury also found Perry guilty of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person 60 or older, unlawful disposal of a body and larceny of a firearm.

Perry's lawyer, Eduardo Masferrer, said he is grateful the jury held the defendant responsible for his actions on Nov. 26, 2017, when he killed his father after an argument at their Masphee home.

“We’re appreciative of the jury’s time and attention to the case, we appreciate that they looked at all the circumstances and reached what we think is the correct decision, of holding Mr. Perry responsible for his father’s death,” Masferrer said.

Manslaughter, Masferrer said, entails an element of reasonable provocation, sudden combat or excessive self-defense. He said throughout the trial the evidence has demonstrated Eli Perry acted out of reasonable provocation.

Mashpee murder trial: Here's what Eli Perry said happened the night his father died

The Cape and Islands District Attorney's office could not be reached for comment at this time.

What happened the night of Raymond Perry's death in Mashpee?

On the night of Raymond Perry’s death, Eli Perry and his then-girlfriend, Paige Malone — who was there that night and testified against him on Oct. 26 under a cooperation agreement — wrapped his father in a rug, loaded him onto a truck and buried his body near an off-Cape cranberry bog, according to court records.

After disposing of the body, Perry and Malone returned to his father’s house and attempted to hide the evidence by painting the walls and laying new flooring, court records show. Malone said her boyfriend forced her to hide evidence and dispose of his father's body.

Raymond Perry was reported missing on Dec. 1, 2017, but records indicate friends and family had not been in touch with him since Nov. 26, 2017.

Several days later, on Dec. 18, 2017, investigators found Perry's body buried under a mulch pile near a cranberry bog at Old Forge Farm in Plymouth. His hands and feet were bound with zip ties, and he was covered with a rug that authorities determined came from his home in Mashpee.

Eli Perry and Malone were later arrested and charged in February 2018. Malone pleaded guilty in March 2019 to being an accessory after-the-fact to murder, misleading police and unlawful disposal of a human body, serving five years in prison and sentenced to three years of probation.

Sentencing for Eli Perry is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 2:00 p.m. in Barnstable Superior Court.

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mashpee murder trial: Jury finds Eli Perry guilty of manslaughter