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Emilio Matarazzo was found guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo following a 16-day trial in Middlesex County, the Middlesex District Attorney said. A judge will sentence him on Thursday.
Ersilia was sitting in her car in her parents' driveway in Everett on the morning of Dec. 19, 2018, when her soon-to-be ex-husband ambushed her and shot her in the chest with a Beretta .12-gauge shotgun, police said. She was preparing to leave for work at St. Anthony's Church.
Ersilia, 50, died on the spot.
They were married for 30 years with children, but Ersilia had filed for divorce a month before she was killed.
Prosecutors said Emilio Matarazzo had a history of verbal abuse that escalated to physical violence in the months leading up to the divorce.
District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a news release following the ruling that intimate partner violence is an all-too-common precursor to homicide.
Intimate partner violence continues to be a significant public safety and public health issue. Ms. Cataldo Matarazzo had been subjected to a long history of abuse that escalated when she tried to leave the defendant, We know that when a victim decides to leave a relationship that time can be incredibly dangerous and in this case, Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo was senselessly murdered when she left the defendant and filed for divorce. Since her murder, her family, neighbors, and her many friends have drawn attention to the important message that domestic violence is a community issue. They have helped to raise awareness and provided resources to aid victims and survivors.
Click here to learn more about Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo at the Orange Rose Foundation.
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