After more than six years since the grim discovery of four slain family members in West Brookfield, Massachusetts, a man has been found guilty of their murders. Matthew Locke, 38, the cousin of the husband to the deceased Sara Bermudez, was convicted on four counts of first-degree murder, armed burglary, and arson of a dwelling on Friday, following a trial that spanned nearly a month with jurors deliberating for approximately 10 hours before reaching their decision. The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office announced the verdict, citing it as an outcome seeked to bring justice to a case involving one of the most “heinous” crimes it had ever seen, as perNBC Boston.
The victims, 38-year-old Sara Bermudez and her three young children Madison, 8, James, 6, and Michael, 2 were found with fatal stab wounds in their home on Old Warren Road on March 1, 2018. According toNBC Boston, evidence of a fire, which had burned itself out, was also found at the scene. Locke had previously been detained for allegedly misleading investigators in the case.
Authorities had been called to the Bermudez residence for a well-being check when they discovered the tragic scene. DNA and further evidence connected Locke to the crimes and led to the murder charges issued by the East Brookfield District Court. “The deaths of this mother and her childrens were some of the most heinous ever seen by this office,” District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said in a statement obtained byWCVB.
In an initial attempt to divert the investigation, Locke had suggested that the Bermudez family might have been targeted by the gang MS-13, a claim that the police refuted, pointing out that Moses Bermudez, Sara’s husband, had not been in contact with Locke after the murders. The prosecution pointed out this misinformation during the trial, underscoring the deceit in Locke’s statements. Locke is expected to receive a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder convictions, affirming the magnitude of the tragedy and the perseverance of the legal system in its slow but steady pursuit of justice.
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