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Mass. man sentenced for killing woman, 3 children in West Brookfield
Matthew Locke, 38, was previously convicted of killing Sara Bermudez, 38, Madison Bermudez, 8, James Bermudez, 6, and Michael Bermudez, 2.
A Massachusetts man was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences Thursday for killing a mother and her three children in West Brookfield in 2018, officials said.
Last month, Mathew Locke was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of a West Brookfield mother and her three children, according to a statement from the Worcester County District Attorney’s office.
Locke, 38, was convicted of killing Sara Bermudez, 38, Madison Bermudez, 8, James Bermudez, 6, and Michael Bermudez, 2, according to the office. Locke is reportedly cousins with Bermudez’s husband, Moses.
Authorities said the victims’ bodies were found in the afternoon on March 1, 2018 inside their home on Old Warren Road in West Brookfield.
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The trial against Locke lasted nearly four full weeks and included over 1,000 exhibits and 70 witnesses, officials noted.
The jury deliberated for about 10 hours before reaching a verdict: Locke was found guilty of first-degree murder — under all three theories — including deliberate premeditation, extreme atrocity and cruelty, and felony murder, with the underlying felonies being armed burglary and aggravated rape, according to the office.
Because there was evidence that there was a fire in the home, Locke was also found guilty of arson of a dwelling, prosecutors said.
“The deaths of this mother and her children were some of the most heinous ever seen by this office,” Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said in the statement. “We hope this outcome can provide some measure of justice for the victim’s family.”
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