A Boston man had a history of domestic violence and multiple restraining orders from the mother of his three children before allegedly beating and strangling her to death on Dec. 12, prosecutors said during arraignment at Boston Municipal Court on Wednesday.

“She was so much more than just Shantel — she was a daughter,” said Shanakay Gillespie, the younger sister of the victim, choking up as tears slid down her face outside the courtroom, “she was a sister, she was a friend, and most importantly, she was a mother. She will be missed dearly, and our family will ensure that her memory lives on.”

Eric McPhail, 37, was arraigned at the BMC Central Division on a charge of murder in relation to the death of Shantel Gillespie, 30, in her South End home on Dec. 12. McPhail pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.

McPhail wore a blue face mask and handcuffs Wednesday. He stood silently throughout the proceedings and faced away from court benches packed with Gillespie’s family and friends.

Just before 7 p.m. on Dec. 12, court documents state, Boston Police received a 911 call from a witness concerned that McPhail may have killed Gillespie, and officers were dispatched to her apartment at 390 Harrison Avenue in the South End.

In the call, the witness reported that McPhail had dropped his three children off at their home with bags of clothes and made statements that caused the witness to be concerned about Gillespie’s wellbeing, Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said Wednesday. He allegedly told the witness he was “going away for a long time” and denied knowing the whereabouts of their mother, according to court documents.

Another witness reported he told them, “This is probably the last time you are going to hear from me,” documents said.

At the apartment during the wellness check, police found Gillespie’s body, Murphy said. An autopsy determined her cause of death to be mechanical asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head.

Surveillance footage, Murphy said, shows McPhail enter the apartment building just minutes before Gillespie on the night of Dec. 11. through footage, Murphy said, McPhail can be seen leaving for just minutes around midnight before returning and taking the three children out at 8:02 a.m. Dec. 12. He returns for another about hour and half later in the morning, she said.

McPhail has a history of domestic violence against Gillespie, including previous criminal charges and two restraining orders from 2021 and 2022, documents show.

The defendant’s arrest follows a “long, painstaking investigation,” Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden said Wednesday.

Gillespie was a “kind-hearted, generous and dedicated” mother of three young children and clinical assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital, according to her sisters Shanakay and Shanalee Gillespie. The young mother immigrated from Mandeville, Jamaica in 2014, according to a GoFundMe set up by the sisters, and completed a nursing degree program at Laboure College of Healthcare just days before her death.

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McPhail’s arraignment was the “first step in the right direction for justice,” Shanalee Gillespie said Wednesday.

“She spent her days caring for patients at Boston Children’s Hospital, her evenings finishing her nursing degree, and she went home to nurture her three beautiful children, ages 1, 3, and 6,” said Shanakay Gillespie. “That takes a commitment and drive I admire. The world lost a beautiful soul on December 12, 2024.”

McPhail will return to court for a probable cause hearing on Mar. 7.

Shantel Gillespie (Photo courtesy Gillespie family)
Shanalee and Shanakay Gillespie speak about their sister Shantel Gillespie outside the courtroom where her alleged killer was arraigned Wednesday at Boston Municipal Court. (Grace Zokovitch/Boston Herald)