Massachusetts

Estranged Husband Charged With Murder in Everett Woman's Death

Emilio Matarazzo, 55, of Peabody, is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday

A Massachusetts man is accused of gunning down his estranged wife as she was heading to her job at a church Wednesday morning.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said Everett officers responded to a home at 90 Central Ave. after receiving a call around 8:40 a.m. for a report of shots fired, where they found 50-year-old Ersilia Matarazzo dead from multiple gunshot wounds inside a car in the home's driveway.

"Then after the four gunshots, I heard screaming. A woman screaming," one woman recalled.

Authorities spoke Wednesday morning on their ongoing investigation into a fatal shooting in an Everett, Massachusetts driveway.

Ersilia Matarazzo's estranged husband, 55-year-old Emilio Matarazzo of Peabody, walked into Everett Police Department headquarters around 10:30 a.m. to turn himself in for the shooting, Ryan said.

The couple was in the process of getting divorced, and Emilio Matarazzo was licensed to carry a firearm, according to Ryan. There was neither a previous court history nor a restraining order filed between the two, Ryan added.

PREOCUPACION_POR_287-G.jpg
Emilio Matarazzo, 55, of Peabody, is charged with murder in the shooting death of his estranged wife.

Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo appeared to have been on her way to work at St. Anthony's Church, where she had worked for about 20 years, according to Everett police. She had a large extended family in the city of Everett and was the mayor's second cousin.

Crews respond to the scene of a shooting in Everett, Massachusetts.

Nearby Everett High School was locked down and all other schools ordered to shelter in place at the recommendation of police. Those orders have since been lifted.

NBC10 Boston's crew at the scene witnessed a man yelling "I've got to see my mother," as he was stopped by Everett police detectives. Family and friends also gathered to mourn at the scene Wednesday morning.

Emotional Images From Scene of Fatal Everett Shooting

Those who knew Ersilia Matarazzo are at a loss for words.

"I don't even know what to think. I just..." said one woman who was in the Everett High School band with Ersilia. "[Ersilia was] quiet, nice. Just a nice, nice person."

Ersilia Matarazzo's family is stunned and saddened to know she was shot and killed inside a car outside her parents home just before 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. She is well known in the neighborhood, and the mother of three is highly regarded throughout Everett.

"She seemed like a very nice lady," one man said.

“She’s well known, well liked, well respected. Large extended family," Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie said. "Just sad to see something like this happen.”

“She’s an angel now but she was taken far too soon,” Ersilia Matarazzo's former high school classmate said.

Emilio Matarazzo will be arraigned Thursday in Malden District Court, and remains in police custody. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

The investigation into the deadly shooting is ongoing.

Contact Us