“We do believe this to be a case of teen dating violence,’’ said Gerard T. Leone Jr., Middlesex district attorney. “It’s a classic fatal paradigm that we see around teen dating relationships.
“We are very confident it was about power and control.’’
Fujita’s arrest came just a day after Astley, a college-bound 18-year-old who dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, was found dead, horrifying this small, well-to-do suburb that hadn’t seen a homicide since 1985.
In Framingham District Court yesterday, prosecutor Lisa McGovern said investigators found Fujita’s blood-soaked clothing in a plastic bag stashed in an attic crawl space above his bedroom, and traces of blood spattered across his family’s Wayland home, a few miles from where Astley’s body was discovered Monday morning.
“This was a strong case of premeditated murder,’’ McGovern said. Evidence showed that Fujita, 18, had tried “to cover up what he had done,’’ she said.
Also hidden behind a ceiling panel were a pair of sneakers specked with blood and a sweatshirt filled with water and dirt “consistent with having been in marshland,’’ according to a police report.
Astley sustained a “horrific’’ wound to her neck from a sharp object, authorities said. They would not say whether a weapon had been found, and said it was not clear what prompted the attack.
“We’ve identified no particular trigger at this time,’’ Leone said.
After obtaining a search warrant for Fujita’s parents’ home, investigators found blood in the garage near some bungee cords, in the kitchen, on a bathroom sink, and on an exterior door handle.
Fujita - the son of Tomohisa Fujita, known as Tomo, an assistant professor of guitar at Berklee College of Music - appeared in court in an orange Wayland football T-shirt. He remained expressionless throughout yesterday’s hearing. He was ordered held without bail until a court hearing next month.
