Advertisement

Neighbor Charged In Deaths Of 3 Elderly Men In North Andover

Three men were found dead Tuesday in their apartments at a housing complex for the elderly, and a neighbor is charged with killing them, a prosecutor said.

Police found the men in their North Andover apartments just after 9 a.m. after getting a call that a person lying face down needed help, Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said at a news conference. He said the men suffered blunt force trauma to their faces.

The suspect, Salvatore Guglielmino, 57, lived in another apartment in the same building on Foulds Terrace.

Blodgett said Guglielmino is scheduled to be arraigned on murders charges in Lawrence District Court on Wednesday, when more details may be released. It was not known if he has an attorney.

Blodgett identified the victims as Walter Hamilton, 78; George Kettinger Jr., 79; and a 68-year-old man whose name was not being released until his relatives could be notified. The prosecutor called it "horrific" that the men were killed in their own homes.

"We have no motive at this time that we can comment on," Blodgett said. He said Guglielmino has no history with North Andover police.

Blodgett and police Chief Paul Gallagher said there was no danger to other residents of the public housing complex, which has 52 units among several buildings. The two-story brick building where the killings took place has four apartments, two on each floor, Blodgett said.

Mary Machado, who lives near but not at the complex, told The Boston Globe the area is a quiet neighborhood. "It's just unbelievable. Especially with the elderly complex. You just don't expect it around here," she said.

North Andover, which has about 28,000 residents, is about 25 north of Boston near the New Hampshire border.

This article was originally published on January 06, 2015.

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close