BEDFORD – A woman was charged with shooting and killing her parents in Bedford, Massachusetts, Thursday morning. Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said 24-year-old Jessica Cavallaro shot her parents in a car outside a Washington Street home just after 9 a.m.
Her 56-year-old mother died. Her father, also 56 years old, was rushed to a hospital, where he died a short time later. They have been identified as Thelma Tatten and Mark Cavallaro.
What allegedly happened in Bedford
The prosecutor said Cavallaro lives in the house with her boyfriend’s family. After the shooting, Ryan said Cavallaro went into the house and told someone to call 911. A gun was found at the scene and Cavallaro was arrested. She did not have a permit to carry the gun, the prosecutor 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 Thursday afternoon in Concord District Court and ordered held without bail. She has to appear in court again on August 20.
Ryan said Cavallaro’s parents live elsewhere in Bedford and it is not yet clear why they were at their daughter’s home Thursday morning. A motive for the shooting is not yet known.
“Horrible incidents”
“As you all know, I’ve been seeing you way too much 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. A lot of the incidents that we’ve had over the last few weeks, the last few weeks, months, firearms getting into the hands of people who shouldn’t have had them.”
Bedford Police said Washington Street will be closed this afternoon.
Bet Germano
