A Massachusetts man has been found guilty of first degree murder in the death of his wife, a beloved Lynn teacher, in their Revere home two years ago.
Andrew MacCormack, 31, was accused of strangling, beating and stabbing 30-year-old Vanessa MacCormack on Sept. 23, 2017 while their 1-year-old daughter was in the room next door. Vanessa was found with a trash bag over her head when her body was discovered, according to authorities.
The verdict was read Monday after over a week of deliberations. Andrew MacCormack shook his head in disagreement as it was read.
"This was totally needless," Vince Masucci, Vanessa's father, said following the verdict. "My daughter didn’t deserve what happened. No one deserves what happened."
Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Vanessa's future was "violently ripped away from her by the person who took an oath, promising to love and care for her," leaving her family "with a void in their hearts and questions that can never be answered." Vanessa was a popular second grade teacher at Connery Elementary School in Lynn.
Earlier in the trial, a state medical examiner testified that the injuries Vanessa endured were so severe that it was difficult to determine the fatal blow. Suffolk County prosecutor Ian Polumbaum said the stab wounds to her neck were "inflicted postmortem, as a gesture of overkill."
According to Polumbaum, the couple had been fighting for months over Andrew’s drug use and spending habits. Prosecutors allege the victim discovered her husband had been stealing money from her in order to fund his cocaine habit and threatened to seek a divorce if he didn't "shape up."
After the killing, prosecutors said Andrew took his daughter with him to buy cocaine.
Defense lawyers argued that the defendant not being a model husband did not mean he killed his wife. They said their client was out with the couple’s daughter at the time of the slaying and reminded the jury that no physical evidence tied him to the scene.
But prosecutors said the verdict to them was always clear, and Vanessa's family plans to put her case behind them.
"My daughter can rest in peace now," Karen Masucci said. "Justice was served."
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. Andrew MacCormack faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.
