A Boston man with a history of guilty convictions has been charged in a Charles River alleged machete attack, according to the Suffolk DA’s office.
Charles Selph, 62, a repeat violent offender, is accused of assaulting a 54-year-old man who told police he had been attacked while sleeping under the Longfellow Bridge.
Mass State Police troopers responded to a call for a person covered in blood on Storrow Drive under the Longfellow Bridge at around 10:15 p.m. on May 23. The 54-year-old man was reportedly bleeding from several lacerations on the top of his head.
After Selph allegedly attacked the victim, he ran onto Storrow Drive — where motorists stopped and helped him. The victim provided troopers with a description of his alleged attacker, and Boston EMS transported him to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment.
A motorist’s cell phone video reportedly showed the victim pointing to a man under the Longfellow Bridge. The man appears to be holding a long object in his hand.
Troopers also got video from the Charles/MGH MBTA station showing a similarly-clothed man holding a long metal object just before the reported time of the attack. A trooper recognized the man in the video as Selph.
Staties conducted a canvass of the scene, and found in a grassy area nearby a machete that matched the one held by the man in the video. Troopers also found a black backpack with a medical/hospital bracelet with Selph’s name and a prescription medication bottle with Selph’s name.
Troopers sought a warrant for Selph, and he was arrested in Boston on May 27. He was charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Selph has an extensive history of guilty convictions in Massachusetts, including charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, failure to register as a sex offender, sexual assault and rape. He was sentenced to nine months in the House of Correction in May 2023 for assault and battery.
“I am extremely grateful for the motorists who stopped and helped this victim, and for the victim’s assistance in giving troopers a solid description of his attacker,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said. “This assistance, along with surveillance video and excellent investigative work, led to a quick arrest in this brutal attack.”
Selph was arraigned on May 28 and ordered held on $1,000 bail, and also ordered to stay away from the victim and the location of the incident. Selph will return to court June 21 for a pre-trial hearing.