WORCESTER, Mass. — The quadruple homicide trial of Mathew Locke, a former Ware resident accused of murdering his cousin’s wife and her three young children inside a home in West Brookfield in 2018, is slated to get underway Monday.
Locke has pleaded not guilty to charges in the stabbing deaths of 38-year-old Sara Bermudez and her children, 8-year-old Madison, 6-year-old James, and 2-year-old Michael. He is also accused of misleading an investigation into their deaths.
The start of the trial comes more than six years Carlos Bermudez, Sara’s father, found the family members stabbed to death in a bedroom at 10 Old Warren Road on March 1, 2018.
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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 earlier this year. Twice, she took out restraining orders against Locke claiming he got physical with her and threatened her life.
In the first, taken out in 2009, she wrote, “He threatened me by trying to say he was going to choke me and strangle me... I am worried he will try to physically harm me.” In the second in 2012, she stated, “He pushed me against the wall when I was pregnant. He has told me he wishes he could kill me sometimes and he is violent and unpredictable on drugs. I am afraid for my safety and especially my sons.”
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DNA and video evidence recovered during a subsequent investigation linked Locke to the murders, according to police.
Opening statements are scheduled for Monday and the trial is expected to last three to four weeks, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported.
Moses Bermudez is expected to be called to the stand.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE FROM BOSTON 25 NEWS:
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