Massachusetts man arrested and charged with triple homicide after 3 family members found dead at home, officials say
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By Rob Frehse and Zenebou Sylla, CNN
(CNN) — A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a triple homicide after three relatives were found dead inside a home in Newton, Massachusetts, on Sunday morning, including a couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary, officials said.
Newton resident Christopher Ferguson, 41, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one count of murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was being held without bail.
Husband and wife Gilda and Bruno D’Amore, ages 73 and 74, and Gilda D’Amore’s mother Lucia Arpino, 97, were found dead inside their home Sunday morning when someone came to check on them after they didn’t arrive at church to celebrate the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a release.
Authorities arrived on the scene and saw that all three victims appeared to have suffered knife injuries and blunt force trauma, Ryan said in a Monday news conference.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Gilda D’Amore’s cause of death to be multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma, the release said. The remaining two autopsies are expected to be conducted Tuesday.
Ferguson is currently only charged with the killing of Gilda D’Amore, who suffered 30 stab wounds, according to the arraignment hearing. However, the district attorney noted that additional murder charges could be added once autopsies on the other victims are completed.
The killings appear to be a random act at this time, the district attorney’s office said.
Investigators were able to match a bare, bloody footprint from the scene of the crime to Ferguson’s foot, Ryan said.
Video taken early Sunday morning also showed a shirtless and shoeless man walking with what appeared to be a staggering gait, Ryan added. Police later identified Ferguson from the video, Ryan said, adding the man is known to police.
“We express our deepest condolences to the D’Amore and Arpino families in the face of this unimaginable tragedy,” Dmitry Lev, Ferguson’s defense lawyer, told CNN in a statement. “However, it is important that this case proceeds in a court of law rather than the court of public opinion. We respectfully request that the legal process be given the opportunity to unfold in due course as we navigate through the system.”
After the victims were found dead Sunday, Newton Police Chief John Carmichael said there would be an increased police presence in the area as they searched for a suspect.
“As you can imagine, this would be tragic on any day. To have family gathered for this kind of a celebration makes it particularly tragic,” Ryan said Sunday evening.
On Monday, Ryan called the crime a “great tragedy and loss” and thanked the community for speaking to investigators and sharing video.
“I believe our streets are safer tonight,” Carmichael said.
Officials will host a community meeting Wednesday evening to discuss the incident, the response and “how we heal,” Carmichael added.
Ferguson is expected back in court on July 25.
Newton is around 10 miles west of Boston.
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