BOSTON/EEUA 41-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the weekend slaying of a Massachusetts couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary, and another relative, in the small town of Newton outside Boston, authorities announced on Monday.
Police arrested Christopher Ferguson, of Newton, late that night and charged him with murdering Gilda “Jill” D’Amore, 73, after an autopsy revealed she had been murdered, said Marian Ray, a Newton district attorney. Middlesex district. Ferguson was also charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing grievous bodily injury, and theft of another’s property.
Additional charges are expected in the death of Bruno D’Amore, 74, and Jill’s mother, Lucia Arpino, 97, on Tuesday after those autopsies were completed. Ferguson is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Ryan said the three apparently had no ties to Ferguson, and that police had found evidence of a forced entry into the basement. She described a chaotic scene in which there were “obvious signs of a struggle” in the house where the murders occurred. A glass paperweight was covered in blood, and there was broken furniture.
The breakthrough in the case came when authorities were able to match a bloody footprint to that of Ferguson, who lived in the neighborhood, Ryan added. They also collected bloodstains near the footprints and bloody fingerprints on the home’s screens and windows, he said.
“This kind of work, this kind of really dogged collection of evidence and prosecution in this short period of time, in an attempt both to determine what happened to these family members and also to re-establish a sense of safety in this community… has brought to the charges this afternoon,” Ryan said.
The killings have shaken the small community of Newton and the church of Our Lady Help of Christians, where some of the relatives were parishioners.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share that the terrible tragedy that occurred yesterday in Newton touched us very closely … impacting our community of faith and our own family,” said Paul and Ginny Arpino, who said the victims were their cousins. and his aunt, in a written message to the faithful.
They said the three “lost their lives in a senseless act of violence.”
The bodies were found at a Newton home when the couple failed to arrive at church Sunday morning, police said.
Preliminary investigation indicates the victims died of stab wounds and blunt force trauma, Ryan said.
“Two of the individuals celebrated their golden wedding anniversary this weekend. As you can imagine, this would be tragic any day. Having family members gather for this type of celebration makes it especially tragic,” he added.
