Alleged arsonist awaits trial conclusion

By Aaron Lombardi

An Essex man is on trial in Windsor on harassment charges and arson.

Russell Bondy, 54, appearing to be in pain, entered the courtroom with a cane and sat behind the glass in the witness box, smiling at a friend and revealing a row of gold teeth.

Bondy was arrested Nov. 20, 2015 and charged with harassment of a family member. On the day of the arrest the family member confessed to Bondy’s wife there were numerous assaults performed by Bondy between 2005 and 2010. A statement by a former neighbour of Bondy’s was made a week after the arrest claiming she was sexually assaulted when Bondy was her babysitter.  He was released from police custody Dec. 15, 2015.

On Feb 10, Bondy’s Essex residence where he lived with his wife and children caught fire. Bondy was moving his items from the home to an apartment he had recently acquired. The cause of the blaze was immediately deemed suspicious. Fire marshals found two doors of the house barricaded with two-by-four wood, while most other entrances were either locked or barricaded with miscellaneous items. A warrant was immediately issued for Bondy’s arrest and he was taken into custody without incident a day following the fire.

Russell Mulholland, 22, is Bondy’s son who said the fire was caused by careless smoking.

“My father was not responsible for the fire,” said Mulholland.

The fire was started on a bed that had materials left piled on it. In a neighbour’s surveillance video which captures the Bondy home, a brief flicker is seen from the second floor window of the house where the fire starts. Mulholland was also charged by police.

The motive behind the fire remains under investigation as the relationship in the Bondy family was reported to be wearing thin following his November arrest. Stacey Mulholland, Bondy’s wife, reported on Bondy’s constant harassment through text messaging while Bondy was living away from the family home. Lawyer Shelley McGuire proceeded to show the court text messages sent by Bondy to Mulholland which said, “sleep with one eye open,” and, “We will see how well you sleep when I am back home.”

No family members were home the day Bondy was moving his items from the house.

Jason Alford is a long-time friend of Bondy’s who agreed to have Bondy live with him should he be released following the trial.  When asked about the state of the relationship between Bondy and his wife Alford told the court, “They’ve been bickering and fighting since I’ve known them.”

It is Alford’s duty to supervise Bondy and make sure he adheres to his designated curfew and refrains from associating with certain people identified by the court.

The final verdict in Bondy’s trial will be concluded by the end of the week.