A 24-year-old woman appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom on Thursday, hours after she allegedly shot and killed both her mom and dad in Bedford.
Jessica Cavallaro was ordered held without bail at her arraignment in connection to the shooting deaths of Thelma Tatten and Mark Cavallaro, both which took place inside a white car on Washington Street.
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According to investigators, Cavallaro lived with her boyfriend and his parents on Washington Street.
She came home from work unexpectedly Thursday morning, saying she had a panic attack. Her parents had picked her up and took her to her boyfriend’s home.
She went inside for about 30 minutes, and when she came back out and got in the car to go to breakfast with her parents, she allegedly shot them both in the head and then went back inside the house and told her boyfriend’s parents what she had done.
"Shortly before 9 a.m. this morning a 911 call was placed from a particular address where the homeowner called to say this defendant had just killed her parents,” Assistant Middlesex DA Suzanne Wiseman said in court.
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Tatten died in the car, while Mark Cavallaro died after being taken to the hospital. Both were 56 years old.
Their daughter was arrested at the scene. Prosecutors have not said why she allegedly committed the crime.
“Once I found out the person was in custody, I felt much better," said Peter Burke who lives in the neighborhood. "I mean, it’s not a good thing but knowing they’re not running around our neighborhood loose is good.”
Court documents indicate the gun belonged to Cavallaro's boyfriend who had several in a safe inside the home. Prosecutors say she did not have a license to carry.
“The prevalence of guns and the availability of firearms, many of the incidents we've had in the last few weeks, the last couple of months, have involved firearms in the hands of people who shouldn’t be having them," Middlesex County DA Marian Ryan said.
Investigators say the defendant has no criminal record.
A woman who knew Cavallaro in high school was shocked to hear the allegations against her.
“Obviously devastating, really out of character, very, very, unexpected,” she said, describing Cavallaro in high school as "very, very quiet."
"Very to herself, very, very sweet girl," she added. "She’s the absolute last person anybody would ever expect to do something like this.”
Cavallaro is being held without bail for the time being and is due back in court on Aug. 20. She’ll also undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
