24-year-old woman charged with murder of parents

The resident went outside and saw a car “in an adjacent lawn” with two injured people inside, Ryan said. Thelma Tatten died at the scene, while Mark Cavallaro was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died a few hours later. Both victims were 56 years old, Ryan said.

Authorities identified the suspected shooter as Jessica Cavallaro. She was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Concord District Court. Cavallaro has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and illegal possession of a firearm.

Assistant Middlesex District Attorney Suzanne Wiseman requested that Cavallaro be held without bail.

Wiseman said a homeowner called 911 shortly before 9 a.m. and said “the defendant had just killed her parents.”

When officers arrived, they found two people “with gunshot wounds to the head,” Wiseman said.

Cavallaro's mother was dead in the driver's seat. Cavallaro's father was rushed to the hospital where he died at 12:18 p.m., she said.

Cavallaro “came home unexpectedly” from work Thursday and her parents wanted to take her to breakfast, Wiseman said.

Cavallaro got into the back seat of the vehicle, “shot them in the head,” then entered the house and “announced that she had killed her parents,” Wiseman said.

Cavallaro's court-appointed attorney, Lorenzo Perez, said his client would undergo a medical evaluation with a “doctor hired by the defense.”

Cavallaro sat next to Perez in court. She wore pink socks, a big blue shirt and kept her eyes downcast. She was handcuffed at the wrists and chained at the ankles.

Judge Lynn C. Brendemuehl ordered Cavallaro held without bail and set her next hearing for Aug. 20.

Outside of court, Perez said, the case is “absolutely mind-boggling and difficult to understand.”

“I think the tragedy here is one where we don’t know anything about anything,” he said.

Perez said he has not yet had a chance to speak in detail with his client.

“It’s a heartbreaking tragedy, but a lack of information,” Perez said. “So my job right now is going to be to collect as much information to try to understand this horrible tragedy as quickly as possible.”

Ryan said Cavallaro lived nearby with a “relative.” His parents also lived in Bedford, Ryan said.

Ryan said she didn't know why the parents were on Washington Street or whether they were arriving or leaving their daughter's home when they were shot.

“These are horrific incidents of domestic violence. They also highlight what we talk about all the time, which is the prevalence of guns and the availability of guns,” Ryan said. “Many incidents we have had over the past few weeks and months have involved guns in the hands of people who should not have them. »

The parents' car was found on the lawn of 11 Washington St., while officers were seen entering a home across the street as part of the investigation.

A neighbor, who identified herself as Christine, said she had lived in the neighborhood for 14 years and considered the neighborhood safe.

“It was shocking to hear something like that,” she said. “It’s something that comes out of nowhere, that comes out of nowhere, that’s crazy, and it’s not happening here.”

She said she never saw Cavallaro on the street.

Another neighbor, who identified himself as Joe, said he went to high school with Cavallaro.

“I graduated with her,” Joe said. “I didn’t really know her well, she was very quiet.”

Zoe Kramer, 19, who lives on the street, said the shootings were “surprising.”

“I’m a little shaken,” she said. “It’s really very, very scary, especially since our community is quite connected.”

Globe staff Nick Stoico contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the condition of one of the victims when law enforcement arrived on scene.

John R. Ellement can be contacted at [email protected]. follow him @JREbosglobe. Ava Berger can be contacted at [email protected]. Am here @Ava_Berger_. Tonya Alanez can be reached at [email protected]. Am here @talanez.