Jill and Bruno D'Amore: Murdered couple died next to each other day before 50th wedding anniversary
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Jill and Bruno D'Amore were excited to renew their vows on their 50th wedding anniversary but little did they know that this would be their last year together. The septuagenarian couple, aged 73 and 74, celebrated the golden jubilee of their happy marital life on Saturday, June 24, a day before they were found dead in their home in Newton, Massachusetts. Apart from the couple, Jill's 97-year-old mother was also found dead in the residence.
The couple was supposed to renew their vows at Our Lady Help of Christians Church on Sunday but they never showed up. One of their worried friends then went to their residence to check on them but was left horrified after discovering their brutally stabbed bodies. Authorities described the scene as bloody, with clear evidence that the D'Amore couple fought in order to thwart their murderer. Jill and Bruno’s bodies were reportedly discovered close to each other, indicating that they died together.
'Nothing like this happens in this neighborhood'
Jill and Bruno were a joyful and devoted couple throughout their nearly fifty-year-long marriage, according to their loved ones. They were also loving grandparents and beloved parishioners. A letter to their church community stated that Jill “had taken on the ministry of beautifying” their community church’s environment while D'Amore was affectionately called the "head chef" because of his knack for flipping burgers. Rev Dan Riley, pastor of Sacred Heart and Our Lady's Collaborative, remembered the couple as "salt of the Earth, the greatest people you'd ever meet."
A close friend of the D’Amore couple said that they were a wonderful couple known for their kindness and contributions. "They would just do anything for anybody," Jim Sbordone, a retired Newton Fire Department lieutenant, told The Boston Globe. "These were wonderful people. This isn't the type of thing that happens in the neighborhood," he said, adding, "I hope it never happens again to anybody." A neighbor who lives near the couple expressed shock over their death while remembering them as a very nice couple. "Why them? Why a nice couple like them? Why this neighborhood? Nothing like this happens in this neighborhood," the anonymous neighbor said, adding, "They were a very, very nice couple."
Suspect arrested
Massachusetts state police have arrested Christopher Ferguson in connection with the "random" stabbing deaths of the D’Amore couple. Ferguson, 41, was arrested on Monday after his footprints matched the evidences found at the crime scene. 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. Authorities claimed Ferguson had no personal acquaintance with the D'Amores or Arpino and that they believe the stabbing was a "random” attack. He is currently in hospital and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, according to Daily Mail.