Methuen man charged with murdering his mother, a Lawrence teacher

A Methuen man appeared in court Tuesday after he was accused of murdering his mother, a beloved Spanish teacher who taught at Lawrence High School.

Anthony Nunez-Romano, 26, was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to murder and two counts of illegally owning a firearm. Prosecutors and court documents identified his alleged victim as his mother, 55-year-old Dominga Romano.

Nunez-Romano was ordered held without bail, due back in court Feb. 20. Reached by phone Tuesday, his attorney declined to comment.

The charges stem from an incident on Lyndale Avenue in Methuen Monday evening, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Nunez-Romano’s criminal complaint lists his address as 6 Lyndale Ave., a property owned by Dominga Romano. 

According to the DA’s office, Methuen police responded to a call for a welfare check at a home on Lyndale Avenue around 5 p.m. Monday. Officers found Romano inside the home and pronounced her dead.

A relative of Romano’s told Telemundo they hadn’t heard from her since Christmas morning, prompting the welfare check.

Nunez-Romano previously faced several gun-related charges out of Lawrence District Court in 2019 and was accused of trafficking firearms. At the time, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts identified Nunez-Romano as one of 32 individuals charged in connection with a drug and gun sweep in the Greater Lawrence area. 

While the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged 18 of the 32 individuals were members or associates of the Trinitarios gang in Lawrence, it was unclear whether prosecutors had accused Nunez-Romano of having ties to the street gang. Essex County prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges against him in 2020, though court records do not offer further insight into their decision.

Less than two years later, Nunez-Romano was charged with carrying a loaded .45-caliber handgun reported stolen in New Hampshire in 2019, The Daily News of Newburyport reported. The case went to trial in 2024, and Nunez-Romano was found not guilty of several firearms charges. 

Meanwhile, Lawrence High School Head of School Victor Caraballo-Anderson remembered Dominga Romano as a “distinguished educator, colleague and friend” in a statement posted to Facebook Tuesday. 

“Dominga was an exceptional individual with a remarkable presence,” he wrote. “Her dedication to students, colleagues and her profession was profoundly inspiring. Her energy, laughter and passion for the students of Lawrence were consistently evident in her actions and her unwavering commitment to excellence.”

Romano was also a board member of Day Dreaming Organization, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting youth in the Merrimack Valley to recreational activities and civic education. 

“We hold her family, friends, and loved ones in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Her commitment, compassion, and legacy will remain forever within our community,” the organization wrote in a statement. “May she rest in peace, and may her memory continue to inspire love and service.”

Caraballo-Anderson likewise remembered Romano’s “laughter, love, and care.”

“I already miss her dearly,” he wrote. “Many of us do. LHS will not be the same without her.”

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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