[MA] Retired Officer Brosnahan killed his wife’s mother and her two brothers, then himself

...A family member confirmed that the shooter [retired Bedford police officer John “Jack” Brosnahan] killed three members of his wife’s family. He killed his wife’s mother [Mary Pizzuto] and her two brothers [Robert and Patrick Pizzuto]... "This is another horrific example of domestic violence, a familial incident leading to three dead persons in that house"...  Police said the murders were a domestic incident and an ongoing dispute led to the killings... Brosnahan was employed by the Bedford Police Department for 28 years and also served as the police prosecutor at Concord District Court. Upon his retirement in January 2000, Brosnahan was assigned to the detective bureau... after he retired he worked as a federal court officer... 

MARY A. (FEROLITO) PIZZUTO Obituary and Guestbook
ROBERT J. PIZZUTO Obituary and Guestbook
PATRICK P. PIZZUTO  Obituary and Guestbook

FAMILY IN CAMBRIDGE SHOOTING TRAGEDY MOURNED
bostonherald.com
By Natalie Sherman
Thursday, December 15, 2011
[Excerpts] The senseless killings of two brothers gunned down with their elderly mother in Cambridge last week caused even the family priest to doubt his faith, he admitted... Robert Pizzuto, 52, and Patrick Pizzuto, 63, were shot Dec. 9 with Mary Pizzuto, 91, by her son-in-law, former Bedford cop Jack Brosnahan, 67, who then shot himself... “It’s a sad day for everyone involved,” Robert Pizzuto Jr. said at his father’s funeral. “But seeing everyone here today, it’s hard for me to feel sad. It’s hard for me to feel anything but proud. These were two great men.” Robert Jr. recalled his father as an expert storyteller. Patrick had just celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary in November. Daughter Anne Boyle recalled how her father, the retired owner of Waltham Fruit Co., was once kicked out of a grocery store for taking pictures of the produce and how he taught his children to be competitive over board games, never letting them win. “He would tell me never to grow up, and I would laugh, and only now do I know what he meant”... [Full article here]

FAMILY, FRIENDS MOURN BROTHERS KILLED IN CAMBRIDGE TRIPLE MURDER
Wicked Local Cambridge
By Scott Wachtler
Posted Dec 14, 2011
[Excerpts] Hundreds filled the pews of Sacred Heart Church in Watertown to pay their last respects to two brothers who were killed in last week’s triple homicide in Cambridge. Brothers Patrick, 63, and Robert Pizzuto, 52, along with their mother Mary Pizzuto, 91, were shot and killed last Friday by their in-law, retired Bedford police officer John “Jack” Brosnahan, 67, who was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Brighton... The Rev. Joseph Baggetta, a family friend, gave the eulogy for the two brothers, and admitted that when he heard the news he had no idea what he could say that would bring the family together... Baggetta encouraged those in mourning to remember Robert, who lived in Arlington, and Patrick, who lived in Lexington and Hull, and remember the way they lived their lives. The brothers were best known for their Cambridge business, Waltham Fruit Company... [Full article here]

THREE PEOPLE FATALLY SHOT IN CAMBRIDGE: Former Bedford police officer shot 3 relatives and then himself, authorities say
Boston Globe
By Derek J. Anderson, Taylor M. Miles and and Matt Byrne
December 10, 2011
[Excerpts] Three people were shot and killed in a domestic incident in Cambridge yesterday, and the suspect committed suicide hours later, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said. Police were called to 161 Grove St. at approximately 6:40 p.m. and discovered three adults, all related, dead of gunshot wounds in the home in what District Attorney Gerald T. Leone Jr. referred to as a domestic violence case. “The unfortunate reality after they [authorities] arrived was that they found three people dead in the house evidencing obvious gunshot wounds,’’ Leone said. “This is another horrific example of domestic violence, a familial incident leading to three dead persons in that house.’’ Hours later, police found the suspect’s body with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Charles River near 1400 Soldiers Field Road in Brighton... More than a dozen police vehicles had congregated around the scene by the water’s edge. A white sheet covered the body... At the Grove Street scene last night, a woman arrived at the one-story brick home, which was blocked off with yellow crime tape, and was crying hysterically as she talked to police... [Full article here]

FAMILY GATHERED TO REMEMBER FOUR DEAD IN CAMBRIDGE: Retired Bedford police officer kills three, then himself
wickedlocal.com
By David L. Harris and Auditi Guha
Posted Dec 15, 2011
[Excerpts] ...Brothers Patrick Pizzuto Jr., 63 and Robert Pizzuto Sr., 52 and their mother Mary Pizzuto, 91, were shot and killed by retired Bedford police officer John "Jack" Brosnahan... The Pizzutos murdered were Brosnahan’s brothers-in-law and mother-in law. A source told our news partner WCVB that an argument had broken out while family members were discussing the care of Brosnahan’s mother-in-law... Police spokesman Dan Riviello confirmed that Brosnahan had a valid license to carry, which he recently renewed through the Cambridge Police Department... On Friday night, relatives overcome with grief were seen near the house. Heavily armed police officers were seen outside the one-and-a-half story ranch home as a flood of reporters stood across the street... Brosnahan was employed by the Bedford Police Department for 28 years and also served as the police prosecutor at Concord District Court. Upon his retirement in January 2000, Brosnahan was assigned to the detective bureau... [Full article here]

INVESTIGATION BEGINS IN CAMBRIDGE MURDER, SUICIDE
whdh.com
Posted: 12/10/11
[Excerpts] ...Family members were devastated after hearing about the triple shooting. A family member confirmed that the shooter killed three members of his wife’s family. He killed his wife’s mother and her two brothers. The wife of one of the brothers said that there was an ongoing disagreement among the family members but she said that she never imagined that they were in mortal danger. She said that they knew the shooter had issues that caused him to be volatile but she wouldn’t have thought he would use deadly force. “Everybody in the neighborhood is in shock,” said Vinnie Borelli, a family friend... Those who worked with the retired police officer during his 28 years of service said he was a great man and that the crime was incredibly shocking news. They said Brosnahan was a ‘straight-laced’ patrolman who was friendly and well-liked. Brosnahan acted as a liaison between the police department and the Middlesex County prosecutors and that after he retired he worked as a federal court officer... Police said the murders were a domestic incident and an ongoing dispute led to the killings... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder familicide triple murder suicide massachusttes state politics]