Authorities reported that a Massachusetts man is accused of killing his brother’s pregnant ex-girlfriend with a knife in the apartment the three of them shared the day before while his brother was being held in connection with a domestic abuse case involving the lady.
Prosecutors said in a press release that on Thursday, Zachary Vozzella, 26, entered a not guilty plea to charges of murder and assault and battery with a deadly weapon in relation to the death of 25-year-old Brianna Welsh.
Prosecutors stated in the press release that the suspect’s brother Brendon Vozzella, 24, was taken into custody on Tuesday following a report of domestic abuse, setting off the sequence of events that resulted in Welsh’s murder.
According to court documents cited by MassLive, Welsh and Brendon Vozzella got into a “domestic altercation” that left Welsh hospitalized. Following the altercation, Welsh reported Brendon Vozzella to the police. Prosecutors stated in the news release that Zachary Vozzella is accused by authorities of killing Welsh during Brendon Vozzella’s detention.
Welsh was slain on Wednesday between 6:15 p.m. and 8:06 p.m., when police believe Zachary Vozzella fled the residence after stabbing her, according to court filings. Welsh had returned to the apartment from the hospital at that time.
Welsh’s mother called management to check on Welsh’s wellbeing in unit 329, and that’s when the body was found the next morning, just before 9 a.m., according to the statement of facts.
She suffered cuts to her legs, neck, and abdomen.
Zachary Vozzella was apprehended right away. According to a statement of facts obtained by boston.com, authorities possessed security footage showing him departing the scene of the crime with multiple bags, including a garbage bag purportedly holding reddish-brown-stained garments and a kitchen knife that tested positive for bloodstains.
When security footage contradicted the suspect’s original alibi that he had been at a neighboring Dunkin’, authorities said he told them he had been inside the flat between 2:30 and 8:30 on Wednesday and that he had not seen Welsh.
Francisco Napolitano, Zachary Vozzella’s lawyer, stated that his client disputes any involvement in Welsh’s demise.
“He’s very, very sad about the whole, not only his own circumstances, but that someone died and that his brother’s in trouble. So everywhere he looks at is just sadness,” Napolitano said to WBZ.
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“The tragic violence that has taken the life of Brianna Welsh and her unborn child has created an unbearable loss for her family,” stated Paul F. Tucker, the district attorney for Essex County, in the news release.
“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,” he stated.
Zachary Vozzella lacked the means to post bail. On September 10, he is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on probable cause. Prosecutors claimed that Brandon Vozzella is accused of assault and battery on a pregnant person as well as assault and battery on a household member. He is scheduled to go into court on August 6.
