Woman accused of shooting and killing parents outside Bedford, Massachusetts home
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said 24-year-old Jessica Cavallaro shot her parents inside a car outside a home on Washington Street just after 9 a.m.
By Beth Germano
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BEDFORD, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A woman charged with shooting and killing her parents in Bedford, Massachusetts Thursday morning has been ordered held without bail.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said 24-year-old Jessica Cavallaro shot her parents inside a car outside a home on Washington Street just after 9 a.m.
Her 56-year-old mother died. Her father, also age 56, was rushed to a hospital where he died a short time later. They’ve been identified as Thelma Tatten and Mark Cavallaro.
Prosecutors said the couple was planning to take their daughter out to breakfast when she shot them both in the head.
“Of course, you never want to see anybody killed or hurt in any neighborhood,” said neighbor Peter Burke. “When it’s right in your own backyard, it’s a little more shocking.”
The D.A. said Cavallaro lives in the house with her boyfriend’s family. After the shooting, Ryan said Cavallaro went into the home and told someone to call 911. A handgun was found at the scene and Cavallaro was arrested. She did not have a license to carry the gun, the D.A. said.
Cavallaro is charged with murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and unlawful possession of a firearm. She was arraigned in Concord District Court Thursday afternoon and ordered held without bail. She will also undergo a psychiatric evaluation. She’s due back in court on August 20.
Ryan said Cavallaro’s parents also live in Bedford. The couple’s landlord Bob Kurker called their deaths “shocking.”
There’s no word yet on a motive for the shooting.
“It’s a small town so we all kind of, like, know each other and we all know one another,” said neighbor Zoey Kramer. “It’s definitely very nerve-wracking.”
“As all of you know, I’ve seen you much too often lately,” Ryan told reporters at a news conference. “These are horrific incidents of domestic violence. They also point to what we talk about all the time, which is the prevalence of guns and the availability of firearms. Many of the incidents we’ve had in the last few weeks, last couple of months, have involved firearms in the hands of people who should not have had them.”
Bedford Police said Washington Street will be closed for the afternoon.
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