A woman shot and killed both of her parents outside of a house in Bedford, Massachusetts, on Thursday morning, authorities said.
Jessica Cavallaro, 24, was arrested on charges including murder and assault and battery, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said. She was ordered held without bail at her arraignment later Thursday in Concord District Court.
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Bedford police were called shortly after 9 a.m. by a person who said that another resident of the home on Washington Street had "just come back into the house and reported that she had just shot her parents," Ryan said just before noon.
Investigators later confirmed that the two shooting victims, a 56-year-old woman who died and a 56-year-old man who was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening shooting injuries, were Cavallaro's parents. Cavallaro's father died at the hospital, Ryan's office said later Thursday.
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They have since been identified as Thelma Tatten and Mark Cavallaro.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
The two gunshot victims were found inside a car in a yard adjacent to Cavallaro's home, Ryan said. Cavallaro has lived at the home with a significant other, but it appeared a different person who lived in the home called police.
“The car is in our front yard right now, but I’m not sure where it came from,” Tim Kaufmann, who lives in the home where the car was found, told NBC10 Boston over the phone.
He said he didn’t know about the murders until police showed up in front of his home.
“There’s nothing we can do about it, we’re going to let police do their jobs.”
A gun was recovered at the scene, where Cavallaro was arrested without incident, officials said. The woman was not licensed to have a gun, Ryan said; she was not believed to be known to police.
Bedford police noted that there would continue to be a large police presence on Washington Street Thursday, with some road closures in place.
Ryan acknowledged that there has been an uptick in domestic violence killings in Middlesex County lately.
"These are horrific incidents," she said, noting that many have involved people obtaining guns when they shouldn't have access to them.
Cavallaro is due in court next on Aug. 20. An investigation is open and ongoing.
