Updated: Court Appearance Delayed for Man Charged in Bella Bond Murder

Boston, MA - Bella Bond's haunting young eyes are back in the news, as her alleged killer's court date was pushed back Tuesday.

The two-year-old's body washed up on Deer Island Beach last summer. Her mother's boyfriend was charged with murder three months later, accused of punching the little girl to death for being "unruly."

Michael Patrick McCarthy, of Quincy, was scheduled for a pre-trial court hearing Tuesday. His cased was scheduled to be called at 2 p.m. in Suffolk Superior Court, but that appearance has now been delayed until June 9, NECN reports.

When her body was discovered last June, Bella Bond was known only as "Baby Doe." An artist's rendering of the toddler's round face and bright eyes stared out from area billboards for months, as investigators sought information on her death.

A tip led authorities to McCarthy and Bella Bond's mother, Rachelle Dee Bond, in September.

After McCarthy pummeled the child to death, the couple placed the girl in a plastic bag and dumped her body in the water, according to allegations previously made in court.

In January, McCarthy was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on a charge of first-degree murder for the death of Bella Bond in the Dorchester home Bella shared with her mother. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.

During Rachelle Bond’s arraignment in January, prosecutors said the girl's mother claimed McCarthy threatened to kill her if she said anything about Bella’s murder. The pair allegedly disposed of the body, then continued their relationship.

Rachelle Bond has been charged as an accessory to the murder. She additionally faces larceny charges for allegedly continuing to receive public assistance even after the girl’s death. She also pleaded not guilty, and is being held on a $1 million bail.

Patch will update this story following McCarthy's court appearance this afternoon.