WORCESTER, Mass. — A man who murdered his cousin’s wife and her three young children inside a home in West Brookfield in 2018 will learn his fate on Thursday.
Mathew Locke, 38, formerly of Ware, will be sentenced in Worcester Superior Court, a little more than a month after he was convicted in the killings of Sara Bermudez, 38, Madison Bermudez, 8, James Bermudez, 6, and Michael Bermudez, 2.
All four victims were found stabbed to death in their home at 10 Old Warren Road on the afternoon of March 1, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. DNA and video evidence recovered during a subsequent investigation linked Locke to the murders, according to police.
Locke is a first cousin to Moses Bermudez, Sara’s husband and the father of her three children. At the time of the murders, Moses Bermudez was in Los Angeles for a work trip.
Before the quadruple murder, Locke had a documented history of violence, according to restraining orders obtained in 2018 by Boston 25.
Locke’s relationship with the mother of his child was strained in the three years they were together, a relative told Boston 25 News. Twice, she took out restraining orders against Locke claiming he got physical with her and threatened her life.
After a four-week trial, the jury found Locke guilty of first-degree murder under all three theories, including deliberate premeditation, extreme atrocity and cruelty, and felony murder, with the underlying felonies being armed burglary and aggravated rape.
The jury also found Locke guilty on the charge of armed burglary and arson of a dwelling. Early’s office noted that there was evidence that there had been a fire in the home that extinguished itself.
Locke’s trial included more than 1,000 exhibits, upwards of 70 witnesses, and the jury deliberated for about 10 hours before reaching the verdict.
“The deaths of this mother and her children were some of the most heinous ever seen by this office,” Early said after Locke’s conviction. “We hope this outcome can provide some measure of justice for the victim’s family.”
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