NEWTON, Mass. (WPRI) — Police have arrested a man believed to be responsible for a triple homicide in Newton, according to authorities.
Officers were called to a home on Broadway Street Sunday morning and found the bodies of two elderly women and an elderly man. It appeared that the three victims were stabbed and beaten to death, and it was clear that someone had forced their way inside, according to Massachusetts State Police.
Police identified the victims as Gilda D’Amore, 73, her husband Bruno D’Amore, 74, and her mother, Lucia Arpino, 97, all of whom lived in the home.
The victims were found after the couple failed to arrive at Our Lady Help of Christians Church Sunday morning to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, according to police.
The state medical examiner ruled Gilda’s death a homicide, with the cause being multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma. The autopsy results for Gilda’s husband and mother are pending.
Police said 41-year-old Christopher Ferguson, who lives in the neighborhood, was arrested Monday after detectives matched a bloody footprint found inside the home to his own.
Ferguson has been charged with murder in connection with Gilda’s death, as well as two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and burglary. He’s expected to face additional charges once the autopsies on Gilda’s husband and mother are complete.
Ferguson is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Newton District Court. The motive is unclear at this time, though it does not appear that the victims were targeted.
