A Massachusetts man has been held without bail for savagely killing two grandparents just before their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in a random attack that’s rocked one of the Bay State’s wealthiest towns.
Christopher Ferguson, 41, has pleaded not guilty to allegedly beating and stabbing to death Jill D’Amore, 73, and her husband, Bruno D’Amore, 74, on Sunday in their Newton, Massachusetts home.
Ferguson – who worked as a campus aide with the Framingham Public School system until about three months ago – also allegedly butchered Jill’s mom, 97-year-old Lucia Arpino, according to NBC Boston.
A family friend found all three dead in the same bedroom at about 10:15 a.m. on Sunday after they didn’t show up for mass, prosecutors said in court.
Their pastor, Rev. Dan Riley of Our Lady Help of Christians, said Monday they were “just the best vision you could have of a Catholic Italian-American family,” according to the Boston Globe.
“They had family warmth, a tomato garden outside, hospitality,” Riley said. “They were just great people.”
The weekend killings prompted cops in the well-heeled town just west of Boston to ask residents to keep their eyes peeled and their doors locked. Authorities lifted the warning Monday, when the district attorney’s office said they caught Ferguson and charged him with murder, assault and burglary.
Cops hospitalized him after his arrest, and his court-appointed attorney entered the not guilty plea on his behalf, the Globe said.
A judge ordered him held without bail Tuesday. His attorney didn’t oppose it, according to NBC.
Authorities arrested Ferguson for the grisly killing after a forensic analysis tied him to a set of bloody footprints found on the ceramic tile outside the D’Amore’s bedroom.
Surveillance footage from nearby cameras also spotted him walking shirtless and shoeless with a “staggering gait” about a mile from the crime scene – and a football field away from his own home, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
His victims – Jill and Bruno – were about to renew their wedding vows Sunday morning after five decades together, NBC said.
Jill spent hours gardening and managing the church grounds, according to a letter from family members, while Bruno was known for his “big voice and his exuberant personality” – especially when he served as grill-master at the parish picnic.
When authorities found them, Jill had suffered about 30 beating and stab wounds in her head, face and neck, according to the Globe. And her mom, Lucia, still had a knife sticking out of her.
The D’Amores left behind three children and five grandchildren, the church said.
Ryan said the alleged killer didn’t know his victims, and the attack appeared random.
Ferguson’s ex-girlfriend told investigators that he was bipolar, and had been stuck in a manic episode since February, the Globe said.
Neighbors said he had stopped taking his medication and recently lost his job at a local Whole Foods.
“This is such a difficult time in our community,” Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in a statement. “The loss of these three individuals and the loss of our sense of safety has been deeply upsetting.”
Ferguson returns to court July 25.