BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: A 41-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the "random" stabbing deaths of an elderly couple before they could renew their wedding vows for their 50th anniversary. Christopher Ferguson was arrested around 7:30 pm on Monday, June 26 after Jill and Bruno D'Amore, aged 73 and 74, as well as Jill's mother Lucia Arpino, 97, were found dead in their family home in Newton.
The D’Amore couple was scheduled to renew their wedding vows at Our Lady Help of Christians Church in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 25. However, when they failed to show up, a worried friend went to check on them and discovered them stabbed to death along with Arpino. Authorities described the scene as bloody, with obvious signs that the D'Amore couple put up a fight in an attempt to stop their murderer. At the scene, officials discovered a bloody bare footprint and fingerprints that they matched to Ferguson, who had been spotted on surveillance footage in the area Saturday night.
Who is Christopher Ferguson?
Ferguson is currently charged with one count of murder, as well as assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and burglary. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan claimed that she expects further charges once the autopsies on all three victims are complete. Only Jill's autopsy had been finished by Monday evening. A medical examiner found she suffered over 30 stab wounds when Ferguson allegedly broke into her house Saturday night. Police on the scene found a screen window torn in the basement and blood on the ground. A stained knife was also discovered in the kitchen, according to Daily Mail.
At the scene, authorities also found apparent signs of struggle including broken furniture and a crystal paperweight covered in blood. Authorities claimed to have matched the bloody footprint with Ferguson. "Like fingerprints, the skin of people's feet is unique," Ryan said at a news conference Monday night. She continued by noting that Ferguson was reportedly seen "staggering" in the neighborhood with no shoes and no shirt at 5.20 am on Sunday. Ryan said that Ferguson was previously "known to police," although it is not known if this refers to any past arrests. Authorities claimed Ferguson had no personal acquaintance with the D'Amores or Arpino and that they believe the stabbing was a "random” attack. Ferguson is currently in hospital and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
'Very, very nice couple’
The D’Amore couple is remembered as "fantastic Italian people who wouldn't hurt a soul." According to Jim Sbordone, a retired lieutenant from the Newton Fire Department and close friend of the D'Amores, the family has long been a regular at the adjacent Our Lady Help of Christians Church. "They would just do anything for anybody," Sbordone told The Boston Globe, adding "These were great people. This isn't the type of thing that happens in the neighborhood. I hope it never happens again to anybody."
A neighbor who lives close to the couple but requested anonymity also expressed confusion and shock at such a violent, seemingly random crime. "Why them?" they told The Boston Herald. "Why a nice couple like them? Why this neighborhood? Nothing like this happens in this neighborhood." The neighbor claimed that Jill and Bruno D'Amore were a "very, very nice couple." The church's pastor Rev. Dan Riley, also claimed that he had known the family since he moved to the Roman Catholic parish more than six years ago. "They had family warmth, a tomato garden outside, and hospitality. They were just great people," he said.
