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‘A senseless act of violence’: Family members identify three killed in Newton
Lucia Arpino and Jill and Bruno D'Amore are being remembered as beloved parishioners at Newton's Sacred Heart and Our Lady's Collaborative.
Family members have identified the three people found stabbed and beaten to death in a Newton home Sunday as Jill and Bruno D’Amore, and Jill’s mother, Lucia Arpino.
NEWTON MURDERS
“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,” relatives Paul and Ginny Arpino shared in a letter to their church community.
The letter, posted to the Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s Collaborative website, describes the apparent triple murder as “a senseless act of violence.”
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Newton police were called to the family’s Broadway Street home at 10:14 a.m. Sunday, where they found three “elderly” people dead inside from apparent stab wounds and blunt trauma, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release. The preliminary investigation reportedly uncovered signs of forced entry into the home.
Authorities have not announced any suspects or arrests. The DA’s office is asking residents to report any suspicious activity to Newton police at 617-796-2123.
Middlesex DA Marian Ryan said in a press conference Sunday that two of the victims were celebrating their 50th anniversary this weekend.
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“As you can imagine, this would be tragic on any day, but to have family gathered for this kind of a celebration makes it particularly tragic,” she said.
The D’Amores were in their 70s, and Lucia Arpino was in her late 90s, The Boston Globe reported.
In their letter, Paul and Ginny Arpino — the choir director and coordinator of pastoral care at Our Lady’s, respectively — reflected on the victims’ dedication to their church community.
“Jill [D’Amore] had taken on the ministry of beautifying our church’s environment,” they wrote. “Without a single day of liturgical training she simply followed her heart, caring for the flowers and decorating for the liturgical seasons.”
Bruno D’Amore, meanwhile, “was known for his big voice and his exuberant personality.” He flipped burgers as “head chef” at the parish picnic, according to the letter.
And until COVID-19 struck, Lucia Arpino never missed a 10 a.m. Mass, walking through the streets of Nonantum in the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Festa procession “well into her 90’s.”
“Many in our faith community are grieving this great loss,” Paul and Ginny Arpino wrote. “We ask for your prayers for them, most especially for their three children and their five grandchildren.”
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The Rev. Dan Riley, the church’s pastor, told the Globe that the family was “just the best vision you could have of a Catholic Italian-American family.”
“They were great people,” he said. “They had family warmth, a tomato garden outside, hospitality. They were just great people.”
In a message posted to Twitter Monday morning, Newton police urged community members to remain “alert and vigilant.” The department also said it was employing all available resources to keep the city’s neighborhoods safe.
“We continue to supplement each shift with extra officers who will be performing directed patrols,” Newton police said, adding, “We will not rest until justice is served for the victims and their families.”
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