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Gardner suspect’s car found, court documents say wife who was killed was ready to leave husband
Breanne Pennington was found dead in her home by police Sunday morning. They are searching for her husband, Aaron Pennington, who is considered to be “armed and dangerous.”
Police located Aaron Pennington’s car Monday evening, but the suspect, who is wanted in connection with the shooting death of his wife in their Gardner home, was not in the car or found in the surrounding area, according to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
Multiple police departments, including Massachusetts State Police, have been searching for the 33-year-old since they discovered Breanne Pennington dead in the Penningtons’ Cherry Street home Sunday morning.
Police are still searching for Aaron Pennington in the 400-acre area surrounding Camp Collier, a Boy Scout camp in Gardner where his car was found. He should be considered “armed and dangerous,” and anyone who sees him should contact police, Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said Sunday.
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Court documents filed Monday revealed that 30-year-old Breanne Pennington was planning on leaving her husband and taking their four children with her. Her death, which the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office is now calling a homicide, was caused by a gunshot wound to the face.
So far, court documents show that Aaron Pennington is facing only one charge – carrying a firearm without a license. But the criminal complaint against him reveals much about the situation leading up to police finding his wife’s body.
What happened Monday
Around 4 p.m. Monday, Gardner officials issued a shelter-in-place for the areas around Kelton, Wheeler, Raymond, and Stone streets. They said law enforcement was searching for a dangerous suspect in the area.
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The shelter-in-place was lifted just after 9:45 p.m. Officials said there was no threat to the public, but that police officers would remain stationed throughout the city through the next day.
On Tuesday, the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office announced that the night before, police had located Aaron Pennington’s white BMW, which they had previously told the public to look out for, in a wooded area at Camp Collier, which is near Kelton Street. The car was originally found by a hunter, Early said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Police quickly determined that no one was inside the car, the DA’s office said. They also searched the area around the car, but did not find Pennington. A search near the car began again Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, Early urged anyone with trail or security cameras near Camp Collier to give police their footage from the last few days. Authorities believe Pennington entered the area on Sunday and that he is armed with a handgun, he said.
“We are still treating this like he is alive and would be somewhere in the woods,” he said.
Pennington is described as a white man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He is approximately 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. Anyone who sees Pennington or has information about the case is asked to call state police at 508-832-9124.
What court documents say about the case
Just before 9:15 a.m. Sunday, a neighbor of the Penningtons called 911 after the Penningtons’ four children came over to her house, court documents say. The children were “scared because they could not find their father and their mother was in her bedroom crying.”
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First responders got to the home just before 9:20 a.m. and found Breanne Pennington lying in a bed in an upstairs bedroom “with obvious signs of death from an apparent gunshot wound to the face,” court documents say. Gardner police officers did not find anyone else in the house.
Through interviews, investigators learned that “Breanne Pennington and Aaron Pennington had been dealing with marital issues for quite some time. Breanne Pennington had plans of moving to Texas with the kids to be away from Aaron Pennington,” court documents say.
“She was saving up money and Aaron was obviously aware that she was going to leave,” Breanne Pennington’s high school friend Chelsea Lowe told WCVB.
“Aaron Pennington suffered from mental health issues and had threatened suicide,” court documents say.
“On the outside, he was a very nice person. But he’s been struggling with some mental health issues. They just were getting worse,” Brooke Pertile, Breanne’s younger sister told Boston 25 News.
Investigators also learned that Breanne Pennington kept a gun at her home for protection, and that her husband did not have a license to carry a firearm in Massachusetts, according to court documents.
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Security camera footage and a canvass of the neighborhood indicated that Aaron Pennington left his home in his 2013 white BMW 320 around 8:50 a.m. Sunday, court documents say. The children went over to the neighbor’s house at 9:07 a.m.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant and were able to search the home. Inside, they did not find a gun, but did find three spent shell casings in the bedroom, according to court documents.
What else we know about the Penningtons
According to Aaron Pennington’s LinkedIn profile, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 2015 before being employed by Waltham-based defense contractor Raytheon as a senior supervisor.
The Boston Globe confirmed these details, finding that Pennington served in the Air Force for six years, but that he hasn’t worked at Raytheon since March.
Aaron Pennington’s job at Raytheon spurred the Penningtons to buy their Gardner home in June 2022, the Globe reported.
Aaron Pennington’s Facebook page says he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Both his and his wife’s Facebook pages list them as being from California.
According to court documents, Breanne Pennington would’ve turned 31 on Friday.
“She didn’t deserve it,” Lowe told WCVB. “She was such a good mother and such a good wife.”
Pertile told Boston 25 News that her sister loved living in Gardner and had planned to begin raising backyard chickens. Her sister lived for her children, she said.
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“[My family is] all in shock. We had no idea something like this would ever happen,” Pertile told the news station. “She’s a very loving, caring, compassionate woman. She always saw the best in everything and people. She definitely lit up the room like no other.”
What’s next
The Penningtons’ children, ages 2, 5, 7, and 9, are now in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families.
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Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson told WBZ-TV that a vigil for Breanne Pennington is on hold until her husband is located.
Police are still searching for Aaron Pennington for questioning about his wife’s death, and there is a warrant out for his arrest on the firearms charge. On Sunday, District Attorney Early said Pennington was both a person of interest and a suspect in the case.
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