Maine woman shot and killed by longtime partner in murder-suicide 3 years after her parents died the same way
FRANKLIN, MAINE: Jessica Dapolito was devastated when she learned her father had shot and killed her mother before turning the gun on himself in a disturbing murder-suicide three years ago. Friends and family of the Maine resident are now shocked to learn that she was killed in the same manner by her longtime partner Robert Dapolito, People reported. Maine State Police stated in a release how an MSP Trooper and a Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy found out about Jessica's murder on January 25 at about 9.40 am, when they responded to a call from a relative who requested a welfare check at the New Sharon home she shared with Robert.
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Upon arriving at the address, officers found the bodies of an adult female and male, later identified as 42-year-old Jessica and 55-year-old Robert. Their deaths were ruled a domestic violence homicide-suicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The couple's loved ones are mourning their loss as authorities continue to investigate. LenaMarie Tufano, whose relationship with the couple is unclear, set up a GoFundMe page to help with the funeral costs. "On January 25th, 2021, our lives changed forever," Tufano wrote on the page. "We lost two of the most important people in our lives. We received the tragic news that Jessica and Robert Dapolito passed away."
"Patrick and Casey's life were upturned that day. It was a shock to all who knew Jessica and Bob, especially their children (Casey and Patrick)," she continued. "They left behind a beloved Newfoundland named Athena and a grandson named Liam. Please think about these brothers as they process and work through the most difficult situation together. Because that's what families do. They stick together, regardless," Tufano added.
Jessica attended Biddeford High School while Robert was at Telstar High School in Bethel before graduating from the University of Maine in Farmington. Both worked for a social service agency, the Sun Journal reported. Speaking to the newspaper, Jessica's aunt Suzanne Bourque described her as a "wonderful, kind, good-hearted person." She noted to the outlet that Jessica and Robert had been together for 23 years but never married. Jessica changed her last name to Dapolito at some point.
Bourque remembered Jessica has an avid gardener. "Her favorite thing was to play in the dirt," Bourque said. “She had a very green thumb.” Furthermore, she said her niece was "incredibly kind" with "a heart of gold. She will be incredibly missed," she told the Sun Journal.
Bourque said the couple used to perform service work together for Spurwink — Behavioral Health and Education Services in Maine. “They impacted a lot of kids’ lives,” she told the outlet. According to Maine State Police, Jessica's parents Thomas and Michelle Masse, of Temple, died on January 9, 2018, in a murder-suicide. 60-year-old Thomas shot and killed his wife Michelle, 59, before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.
Prior to that Jessica and Robert were faced with a similar tragedy in 2010, when Robert's brother, also named Patrick, shot and killed his wife Kelly Winslow at their Limington home, according to CentralMaine.com. In 2012, Patrick was convicted of her murder and sentenced to 55 years in prison.