WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - The man accused of killing a 76-year-old woman and her 58-year-old daughter in Worcester last month was ordered held without bail in court Friday.
Prosecutors said William Rodriguez, 59, stabbed Sergia Acosta and Anna Maria Martinez on Aug. 24. Authorities said the mother and daughter were killed in their apartment inside the Webster Square Towers.
Family and friends of the women packed the Worcester courtroom after visiting the cemetery for their funeral Friday morning.
“They were sweet, they were loving, they were caring, they were hilarious,” said a family member of the women.
Relatives said Martinez had been in a past relationship with Rodriguez. Surveillance video places Rodriguez at the crime scene, according to prosecutors.
“He was the last person seen going from that apartment until the 911 callers entered the apartment and reported that their family members were deceased,” said prosecutor Karen Bell.
Rodriguez was arrested in the Bronx in New York City three days after the deaths.
In 2004, Rodriguez was charged with murdering his wife at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, where they both worked. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, not first-degree murder, and served 15 years in prison before the parole board recommended his release in 2018.
Now, another family is grieving.
“We just hope that justice is served so that no other family has to go through this because of this evil person,” said Genesis Berrios, a relative of Acosta and Martinez.
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder Friday. He is due back in court next month.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)