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Mass. man charged with murdering wife, allegedly told 911 operator ‘my gun went off’

Mark Opper, 56, is charged with murdering his wife in their Belchertown home.

March 31, 2026

1 minute to read

A Belchertown man is accused of shooting and killing his wife after he told a 911 operator that his gun “went off,” court records show.

Mark Opper, 56, is charged with the murder of his wife, Diane Opper, 56, following a shooting in their home Friday evening, Belchertown police wrote in a statement of facts filed in Belchertown District Court.

Opper is charged with murder and assault and battery on a family or household member. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, court documents show.

Belchertown police responded to a home on Daniel Shays Highway at 5:10 p.m. on March 27, after Mark Opper called 911 and told an operator: “I just sh— … my gun went off. I killed my wife,” the statement of facts reads.

Officers ordered Mark Opper to exit the home, then arrested him.

Mark Opper had “red/brown stains, believed to be blood” on his hands and pants, but no visible injuries, police wrote.

First responders found Diane Opper lying on the home’s living room floor with multiple gunshot wounds to her torso.

The woman was taken to Baystate Wing Hospital, where she was declared dead, police said.

An officer noticed a pistol with the magazine removed and an unused bullet lying next to the gun inside the home, police wrote. Other bullet casings were found in the living room, 10 feet from where Diane Opper was found, the statement of facts said.

In the early hours of March 28, investigators executed a search warrant and obtained the casings from the living room and multiple guns, including a handgun that fires the same type of ammunition found near the victim, police wrote.

“Given the number of gunshot wounds Diane sustained and their concentration around her torso and arms, investigators believe Mark Opper intentionally shot his wife with the intent to murder her,” the statement of facts reads.

Mark Opper is being held without bail in the Hampshire Jail, court documents show. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

He is scheduled to appear in court on April 27 for a probable cause hearing, court records show.