Neighbour arrested after couple celebrating 50th anniversary among three killed in horror triple stabbing
Christopher Ferguson, 41, charged in connection with murder of husband and wife Bruno and Gilda D’Amore and Lucia Arpino, Gilda’s 97-year-old mother
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A neighbour has been arrested in connection with the brutal stabbing of a husband and wife celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and the woman’s elderly mother at a home in Newton, Massachusetts, on Sunday morning.
Christopher Ferguson, 41, was arrested at about 7.30pm on Monday night after his shoes were matched to bloody footprints left at the crime scene, investigators said.
He has been charged with murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and burglary, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced in a statement.
Gilda and Bruno D'Amore, 73 and 74, had been due to renew their vows at a service at a service at the Our Lady Help of Christians Church on Sunday morning.
When they didn’t arrive, a concerned friend went to check on them and found the couple’s bodies, along with Gilda’s critically wounded mother Lucia Arpino, 97, at an address in the Nonantum neighbourhood.
Ms Ryan the three residents of the home being pronounced dead at 10.20am.
Investigators canvassed the neighbourhood and found surveillance footage of the suspect about 0.4 miles away and about 100 yards from where Mr Ferguson is believed to have been living, Ms Ryan said.
The man was later identified as Mr Ferguson, who was previously known to police, according to WCVB.
“That video shows that at about 5:20am Sunday morning, a male with no shirt and no shoes was walking with what appeared to be a staggering gait,” Ms Ryan said.
A footprint recovered from the victims’ home was matched to Mr Ferguson’s shoe late on Monday afternoon by Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, the district attorney said.
“Footprints, like fingerprints, are unique,” Ms Ryan added.
Mr Ferguson will appear for arraignment at Newton District Court on Tuesday. Further charges are possible after autopsies of the three family members have been completed, authorities say.
Investigators found signs of forced entry at the D’Amore’s home including broken glass and missing screens at the basement window.
Ms Ryan said the victims appeared to have knife wounds and to have suffered blunt force trauma. Broken furniture and a bloodied paperweight revealed that a struggle is likely to have occurred.
“We know that Mrs D’Amore suffered over 30, both stab and blunt force trauma injuries, primarily to the upper part of her body and head,” Ms Ryan said on Monday.
Authorities said they still believed the gruesome killing was a random act.
“Obviously, we are less than 48 hours into the investigation, but right now we do not have any reason to think that it was not a random event,” Ms Ryan added.
A neighbour who remained unnamed told WCVB that Mr Ferguson has lived in the neighbourhood for years.
“He’s a really special man who struggles with mental health issues,” the woman said, according to the local TV station.
“He needed more help than he was getting and people who love him dearly were trying to make that happen.”
Family members wrote to the church’s congregation on Monday to confirm the tragic news.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share that the terrible tragedy that happened yesterday in Newton hit very close to home … impacting our faith community and our own family,” the family members wrote.
“Jill and Bruno D’Amore and Jill’s mother, Lucia Arpino, lost their lives in a senseless act of violence,” they added.
Gilda D’Amore was described as someone who had spent “endless hours in the care of our church,” gardening and managing decor.
Bruce D’Amore was known for his “big voice and his exuberant personality,” the family wrote.
Close friend Jim Sbordone, a retired Newton Fire Department lieutenant, told the Boston Globe the couple were longtime members of the Our Lady Help of Christians Church.
“They were fantastic Italian people who wouldn't hurt a soul, and they would just do anything for anybody,” Mr Sbordone told the publication.
“These were great people. This isn't the type of thing that happens in the neighborhood. I hope it never happens again to anybody.”
On Sunday night, Ms Ryan warned residents in the city on the outskirts of Boston to lock their doors and windows while the suspect was still at large.
Investigators also found signs of a possible break-in half a mile away on Brookside Avenue but it was unclear if that was connected to the grisly triple slaying, Ms Ryan added.
Authorities had appealed for residents to remain “vigilant” and check their security cameras for any unusual activity.
“Two of the individuals were celebrating a golden wedding anniversary this weekend,” Ms Ryan told the Sunday evening news conference.
“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.”
Investigators from the District Attorney’s office, the Newton Police Department and Massachusetts State Police were involved in the manhunt.