Three people killed in their Newton, Massachusetts home were identified Monday as a Bruno D’Amore, his wife Jill, and Jill’s mother Lucia Arpino, the couple’s church confirmed in a letter.
Cops were still searching Monday for a suspect in what they believe could have been a random attack on the trio.
Bruno and Jill D’Amore were celebrating 50 years of marriage when they were found dead in their home Sunday—stabbed and badly beaten—after failing to turn up at church for a ceremony to renew their vows. Arpino was in her nineties.
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“It is with a heavy heart that we share that the terrible tragedy that happened yesterday in Newton hit very close to home…impacting our faith community and our own family,” read the letter from the Sacred Heart and Our Lady's Collaborative church. The letter was shared by two church workers who identified themselves as the cousins of the D’Amores, and niece and nephew of Arpino.
The gruesome triple murder in the early hours of Sunday prompted an appeal for residents in the area to “lock your doors and windows” while police launched a manhunt.
Officials said cops were called to a house in the wealthy Boston suburb at 10 a.m. on Sunday after a neighbor decided to check up on the couple because they had missed church.
“These were churchgoing people. The only reason they were found is because they weren’t in church and somebody came to see if they were OK,” one neighbor, Robin Dickey, told WBZ.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a Sunday night press conference that there had been signs of forced entry into the home. She said an attempted break-in had been reported at another house half a mile away shortly before 7 a.m., although police said it was not clear if the two were connected.
“As you can imagine, this would be tragic on any day. To have family gathered for this kind of a celebration makes it particularly tragic,” Ryan said.
“We are asking people to remain vigilant,” she added. “This is the night to lock your doors and windows even if you do not normally do that.”
Investigators from the DA’s office and Massachusetts State Police immediately launched an investigation. Newton Police Chief John Carmichael said: “We won’t rest until we find out who did this.”
The church will hold a memorial Mass for the slain family on Tuesday evening.
