Zachary Vozzella appears in court.Photo:WCVB
WCVB
According to theEssex County District Attorney’s Office, 25-year-old Brianna Welsh, who was reportedly about three months pregnant, was found dead at her Lynn, Mass., apartment on Wednesday, July 31.
Brianna Welsh.Gofundme
Gofundme
Zachary Vozzella, Brendon’s 26-year-old brother, had been staying with the couple, and allegedly came back to the apartment while Welsh was home, MacDougall said, according to theBoston Globe,WHDHandNBC10. Zachary allegedly stabbed Welsh to death, leaving her with multiple stab wounds, prosecutors claimed, according to the outlets.
Brendon never returned to the apartment after his arrest and police do not believe he killed Welsh, prosecutors added, per WHDH.
As the investigation continued,CBS News Boston, NBC10 and WHDH reported, prosecutors alleged that police eventually found bloody clothes and a kitchen knife in a trash bag in another apartment where Zachary had also been staying.
According to the DA’s office, Brendon was arraigned on Wednesday on one count of assault and battery on a household member and one count of assault and battery upon a pregnant person. He’s next due in court on Tuesday, August 6. It’s not clear if he has entered pleas or retained an attorney.
On Thursday, Zachary pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Lynn District Court and was held without bail, the DA’s office added.
Zachary’s attorney, Francisco Napolitano, told WHDH that he denies killing anyone. Zachary is set to appear in court for a pre-trial probable cause hearing on Sept. 10, court records show.
In a statement, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said, “The tragic violence that has taken the life of Brianna Welsh and her unborn child has created an unbearable loss for her family. While their loss cannot be repaired or remedied, I hope that our efforts to seek justice on her behalf assures them that we and the community support them.”
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“Tragically, she has been taken from us, murdered in her own home. We are all lost without her,” the page continues. “She was a bright shining star, that went out before her time.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com