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Details emerge in alleged killing of parents by their daughter in Bedford
Jessica Cavallaro, 24, shot her parents and confessed to the crimes, officials say.
The Bedford woman accused of shooting her parents in a car this week appeared in court Thursday, as a few new details emerged about the killings.
Jessica Cavallaro, 24, was ordered held without bail after being arraigned in Concord District Court. She faces two counts of murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and illegal possession of a firearm. She will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Prosecutors say Cavallaro murdered her parents, Thelma Tatten and Mark Cavallaro, in a car on Washington Street in Bedford on Thursday morning. Both were 56.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said Thursday that a resident called police after Cavallaro entered their home and confessed to shooting her parents. Police found the two victims in a car on a neighboring lawn with gunshot wounds to their heads. Tatten was pronounced dead at the scene. Mark Cavallaro died at a local hospital.
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Their daughter lived with her boyfriend at the Washington Street residence. She came home from work unexpectedly Thursday, saying that she had a panic attack, according to NBC 10 Boston.
She went into the house for about 30 minutes before getting into the car with her parents and allegedly shooting them, NBC 10 reported. They had been planning to get breakfast together. Cavallaro then went back inside and confessed to her boyfriend’s parents, who called 911, police said. Cavallaro was arrested at the scene.
The father of Cavallaro’s boyfriend told police that she may have gotten the murder weapon from a safe in his home, according to a police report obtained by The Boston Globe. He told officials that his son also owned guns and there were at least four more weapons in the house.
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As she was being arrested, Cavallaro told police that she was “thinking about suicide,” according to the Globe. She registered as being at “medium risk” on a suicide evaluation form.
A Facebook page that appears to have belonged to Cavallaro’s parents raised money for a mental illness fundraiser in April. The fundraiser, appearing under Mark Cavallaro’s name, was gathering donations for a walk organized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
In a post accompanying the fundraiser, “Mark C” wrote about suffering from anxiety and bipolar disorder since he was a child. He wrote glowingly about the services offered by the Edinburg Center, a Bedford facility that helps people with mental health conditions, substance use conditions, developmental disabilities and brain injuries. The fundraiser garnered $574, surpassing a goal of $250.
Cavallaro wrote that he was teaching guitar at the center. His name is listed as a “Shining Star recipient” in a Facebook post made by the Edinburgh Center. It hosts an annual “Night of Shining Stars” ceremony to celebrate employees and those the center serves. This year’s event was scheduled for Thursday.
The couple lived on Genetti Street, according to the Globe. Neighbors remembered them as a kind couple who always made an effort to chat.
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In a comment under a post about the fundraiser, a user that appears to have been Mark Cavallaro mentioned his wife and his reasons for raising money.
“I hope this walk helps with mental health awareness, I just don’t see enough done for it so I thought it was time for me to step up it should be fun cause Thelma is going to be by my side as always, (she’s MY rock) as will some of the great peers I go to group with, I’m very much looking forward to it,” the comment reads.
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