About 200 residents of Newton, Massachusetts, gathered Wednesday night to discuss how to cope with the triple killing that shocked the quiet community over the weekend.
Jill D’Amore, 73, and her husband Bruno D’Amore, 74, were found dead in their home in Newton, along with Jill's 97-year-old mother, Lucia Arpino, after they failed to show up for a celebration of Jill and Bruno's 50th wedding anniversary at Our Lady Help of Christians Church on Sunday.
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Christopher Ferguson, 41, of Newton, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Newton District Court to a murder charge in the death of Jill D’Amore, along with two counts of assault and one count of burglary. Additional charges are expected in the deaths of Bruno D'Amore and Arpino after those autopsies are completed.
At a community meeting Wednesday at the Horace Mann Elementary School auditorium, a counselor from the Riverside Trauma Center told the crowd it's OK to feel anger, dismay and frustration.
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"I'd have to say it's a very out-of-body experience," said Jessica Morson, who attended the meeting. "I'm still trying to grasp what happened."
"I've been feeling a little anxious, so I wanted to come down to see if anybody had any reassuring words," said J Baggett. "Somebody did."
Those who attended were told trauma can impact you physically and mentally, and can shatter a sense of safety.
"After the other day, I just started looking over my shoulder a little bit more," said Baggett.
People were urged to ask for help if anxiety is building up.
"We're all in this together," said Tina Caruso, a Newton resident who attended the meeting. "We have each other to lean on, and we know that you're not the only out there that's grieving."
The grisly crimes have led to yet another conversation about mental health treatment.
"It's increasingly clear the alleged perpetrator clearly suffered over many years from mental health challenges and our system let him down," said Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. "We weren't able to address it, and now we've got a tragedy."
"We need to see a change and really pay attention more to individuals around us," said Morson. "And be supportive."
Jill D’Amore had 32 beating and stab wounds to her upper body, including her head and face, prosecutors said in court.
Ferguson was arrested Monday, but it appears he had no connection to the victims, prosecutors said. Investigators have yet to identify a motive in the killings.
Judge Mary Beth Heffernan ordered Ferguson held without bail until a probable cause hearing July 25. During Tuesday’s arraignment, at least eight relatives of the victims listened silently in court as prosecutors detailed their investigation. They left without talking to reporters.
A Mass of Peace was held Tuesday evening, but reporters were not allowed inside.
"It was very heartfelt and sincere," said Debbie Sylvester, who attended the Mass. "I hope it helps the family."
"It could be anybody's grandmother, aunt, uncle," added Paul Hurney. "It's important to be here to show your support for the family, for the community."
"Trying times reveal character, the character of people here is...the love, the faith, the care for each other, they haven't run from the uncomfortable feelings, but rather, have embraced their friends, and I couldn't be more proud of them," said Father Dan Riley, the church's pastor.
Riley added that Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Boston Archdiocese told the Pope about the story.
"He and the Pope have said individual prayer for this family, the love has been immense," he said.
Family members remembered the victims in a letter to the church community earlier this week.
“Bruno was known for his big voice and his exuberant personality,” and for being treated as “head chef” at picnics, Paul and Ginny Arpino, who were related to the victims, wrote in the letter.
Jill D’Amore, they said, had taken on the ministry of beautifying the church’s environment.
“Without a single day of liturgical training she simply followed her heart, caring for the flowers and decorating for the liturgical seasons,” they wrote.
And, they wrote, “Lucia will be especially missed on the upcoming Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Festa weekend as she faithfully walked in that procession through the streets of Nonantum well into her 90’s," referring to the heavily Italian American neighborhood where they lived.
The victims were discovered in a bedroom by a friend shortly after they failed to show up for 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, prosecutors said. The friend called police, who discovered signs of forced entry through a window. Investigators found bare footprints on the tile floor, along with blood droplets and fingerprints.
Surveillance video from a nearby home showed a man with no shirt or shoes staggering not far from the D'Amores' home shortly before 5:30 a.m., prosecutors said. Several police officers identified the man as Ferguson, whose footprints matched bloody prints found in the home, she said.
Investigators visited Ferguson's father, who acknowledged that a photo they showed him could be his son, according to charging documents. They then visited an ex-girlfriend of Ferguson, who detailed mental health challenges he has faced since February. They finally visited the home he shared with his sister and arrested him, the documents show. Ferguson was taken to Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center for evaluation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.