Young woman charged and held without bail in Bedford shooting that left mother, father dead – Boston 25 News

Lina PortmanJune 7, 2024

2 2 minutes read

BEDFORD, Mass. — A young woman faces charges in connection with a double shooting in Bedford Thursday morning that left her mother and father dead, authorities said.

Jessica Cavallaro, 24, of Bedford, was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Concord District Court on charges of murder, two counts of battery with a dangerous weapon causing great bodily injury and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. . She was held without bail and the judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation.

Officers received a 911 call around 9 a.m. from a resident of 11 Washington St. who reported that a young woman who lives in the home had just admitted to shooting her parents, Ryan said during a press conference late in the morning.

That caller then went outside and found two people suffering from gunfire in a car parked on an adjacent lawn, according to Ryan.

Cavallaro's mother, Thelma Tatten, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene, while his father, Mark Cavallaro, 56, was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died, according to Ryan. . A handgun was also found at the scene.

Cavallaro was identified as the suspected shooter and taken into custody by police without incident.

Cavallaro is the “significant other” of a resident who lives in the house where the 911 call came from, but she resides at a different address on Washington Street, according to Ryan.

Cavallaro's parents lived in another part of Bedford and it was not immediately clear why they were in the neighborhood, Ryan noted.

Bedford Police Chief John Fisher warned residents to avoid the area due to heavy police and road closures.

“It's a very close-knit community, very, very small, so it's mind-blowing for everyone, I'm pretty sure, obviously devastating, but really out of character, very, very unexpected,” said one young woman who went to Bedford High. School with Jessica Cavallaro.

She couldn't believe Jessica was arrested Thursday for shooting and killing her parents.

“A very, very quiet girl, very to herself, very, very kind, I mean, she's the last person I think anyone would expect to do something like that, so it's very devastating for everyone involved,” the former classmate said.

Many neighbors expressed shock at the killings. But not Pete Burke.

“I was actually at Dunkin' Donuts and I saw two police officers come in and then they turned and ran away,” Pete Burke said. “I had a feeling they were arriving on scene. I'm not shocked by anything that's happening in the world. But you know, it's definitely not something I expected when I went to work this morning.

Burke said he knew the neighborhood well from his painting business and the fact that he and his children rode bikes on its tree-lined streets.

Other neighbors said what neighbors often say after a tragic event in their midst: not here.

“It’s a very safe neighborhood,” one said. “And it was shocking to hear something like that. I just think it's something that comes out of nowhere, that comes out of nowhere, that doesn't happen here. »

State police detectives assigned to Ryan's office are assisting Bedford police with their investigation.

“A lot of the incidents we've had over the last few weeks or two months have involved firearms in the hands of people who shouldn't have had them,” Middlesex County Prosecutor Marian Ryan said.

Cavallaro will be back in court on August 20.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Lina Portman

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