On Wednesday, June 28, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, and Newton Police Superintendent George McMains led a community meeting to discuss the June 25th homicides of Lucia Arpino, 97, her daughter Gilda (Jill) D’Amore, 73 and her son-in-law, Bruno D’Amore, 74. The three were murdered in their home at 49 Broadway, close to the Horace Mann School, where the community met to ask questions and learn about a range of services available to them. About 200 people gathered in the school’s all-purpose room and in the large school lobby adjacent to the meeting site.
The Mayor, who was out of the country at the time of the murders but continually on the phone with her staff, returned on Wednesday afternoon. She greeted people as they entered the school and then walked around the room hugging and talking to people who came from the Nonantum neighborhood, as well as other Newton villages. City Council Vice President Rick Lipof was joined by Ward 1 Councilors Alison Leary, Maria Scibelli Greenberg, and John Oliver; Ward 2 Councilor Emily Norton; Ward 3 Councilor Andrea Kelley; Ward 5 Councilors Deb Crossley and Andreae Downs; School Committee Chair Tamika Olszewski, and Ward 7 member Kathleen Shields. In addition, Father Dan Riley, Pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Church, where the victims and their family were longtime active parishioners, was present, as were many Newton clergy. City Council President Susan Albright, who had been on stand-by in Mayor Fuller’s absence, was at a previously scheduled City Council meeting. Terry Sauro, Chair of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association, was on hand. Leo, the Newton Police Department’s golden retriever — and Bear, Brookline Police’s retriever — were very much in evidence as well, and a number of people stopped to pet and talk to them.
Ms. Sauro and some longtime Nonantum neighbors were sitting together, reminiscing about Mrs. Arpino, whom they called Nonna Lucia. One woman recalled that after the family moved from Hawthorne Street to Broadway, Mrs. Arpino would come back to visit and speak Italian with the woman’s aunts.
After pointing out open seats to people who were standing along the walls, the Mayor began by saying, “I am so sorry that we have to be here tonight, but I am so grateful we are here together.” She acknowledged the family’s neighbors, fellow parishioners, and volunteers, underscoring that “to you in particular, the shock of the grief of losing such good people is mind-numbing” and that their sense of security and normalcy is shattered — which has been a refrain for many community members since Sunday. In that context, the Mayor thanked Newton Police Chief John Carmichael, Superintendent George McMains, and the police for their tireless work in identifying the suspect, Newton resident Christopher Ferguson, believed to have mental issues, and noted that his family, too, been traumatized. “We are here to answer questions and concerns,” she said, emphasizing that “Newton is a community that cares about each other.”
District Attorney Ryan, who had been at the crime scene since Sunday morning, directing the investigation, thanked the Mayor for bringing the community together. As police and forensic experts were working there on Sunday, people brought food and water for them: “It speaks to what community is, “she said. Sunday was meant to be “such a happy day,” the day the D’Amores were going to renew their wedding vows in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary, the District Attorney reminded the audience. In spite of the terrible tragedy and the 36-hours of serious concerns about public safety until Mr. Ferguson’s arrest, the community displayed “empathy, and kindness.” “How fortunate you are to be in a community with such humanity,“ she said. Newton Police Superintendent George McMains thanked the public for supplying pictures and information to the police.
Newton Health and Human Services Commissioner Linda Walsh echoed the message that Newton is a caring, compassionate community and that there are services available to people in need of some support, indicating that the table in the lobby had cards for Newton’s Social Services providers and printed information about the services offered by Riverside Trauma Center, which offers a wide range of services to communities dealing with security-shattering events.
Lisa Maccario, a trauma clinician from Riverside Trauma Center, spoke about the impact of communities and individuals struggling to deal with violence and loss. She noted that Newton has always been considered one of the safest communities in the country, but even here, such events can occur, and they produce a wide range of physical and emotional responses. She offered a variety of coping mechanisms for people who are having difficulty sleeping or feeling anger and depression. As part of her presentation, Ms. Maccario invited the audience to share their questions, anxieties, anger, and concerns.
In a conversation with Fig City News following the meeting, Terry Sauro shared her frustration and that of some other Nonantum residents that the City had not employed area-wide robocalls to tell the community of the murders and warn people to lock doors and windows. She also was critical of the City for not canceling the week’s City Council committee meetings and for not flying flags at half mast until after the family funerals. Moreover, many Nonantum residents, who wanted to testify about the proposed Village Center Zoning Redesign at the June 26 Zoning and Planning Public Meeting, did not do so, out of respect for the three victims. City Council President Susan Albright and Zoning and the Planning Committee Chair have scheduled a second public hearing, on July 24, for anyone who did not speak at the June 26 meeting. In addition, another public hearing will be scheduled in the future specifically for the Nonantum community.
Recognizing that children are not in school, where they would likely have access to counselors and support programs, Ms. Sauro recommended that the City host a day for people to bring their children to Pellegrini Park on Hawthorne Street to meet with trained counselors to talk about their concerns. She also suggested a City Hall vigil for the murdered family.
Ms. Maccario agreed that smaller local meetings would be helpful and said that Newton was working with the Trauma Center to organize those efforts. Mayor Fuller underscored that community approach and at the same time asked, “how do we support people with mental health issues” such as those apparently afflicting Mr. Ferguson.
There are a range of support services for people experiencing acute or chronic emotional stress:
- Newton Health and Human Services, weekdays: 617-796-1420
- For help anytime, any day:
- Riverside Emergency Services; 800-529-5077
Riverside Trauma Center: riversidetraumacenter.org - Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help — Carll or text 833-773-2445 or visit masshelpline.com
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for chat and resources
- Riverside Emergency Services; 800-529-5077
Ed. Note: We revised this article to clarify that the additional public hearing on July 24 will be open to all, and another public hearing will be scheduled at a later date specifically for the Nonantum community.