Woman allegedly shot parents outside a house in Bedford, Massachusetts

BEDFORD – A woman accused of shooting her parents to death Thursday morning in Bedford, Massachusetts, is being held in custody without bail.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said 24-year-old Jessica Cavallaro shot her parents in a car outside a home on Washington Street shortly after 9 a.m.

Her 56-year-old mother died. Her father, also 56, was taken to the hospital where he died a short time later. They were identified as Thelma Tatten and Mark Cavallaro.

Prosecutors said the couple were planning to go to breakfast with their daughter when she shot them both in the head.

“Of course, you don’t want to see someone killed or injured in your neighborhood,” said neighbor Peter Burke. “When it happens right on your doorstep, it’s even more shocking.”

What allegedly happened in Bedford

The prosecutor said Cavallaro lived in the house with her boyfriend’s family. After the shooting, Ryan said, Cavallaro went into the house and told someone to call 911. A handgun was found at the scene and Cavallaro was arrested. She did not have a permit to carry the weapon, the prosecutor said.

Cavallaro is charged with murder, assault with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and unlawful possession of a firearm. She was arraigned in Concord District Court on Thursday afternoon and remanded in custody, denied bail. She will also undergo a psychiatric evaluation and is due back in court on August 20.

Ryan said Cavallaro’s parents also lived in Bedford. The couple’s landlord, Bob Kurker, called her death “shocking.”

There is no information yet about the motive for the shooting.

“It’s a small town, so we all kind of know each other and we all know each other,” said neighbor Zoey Kramer. “It’s definitely very nerve-wracking.”

“Terrible incidents”

“As you all know, I’ve seen you far too often lately,” Ryan told reporters at a news conference. “These are horrific cases of domestic violence. They also point to what we talk about all the time, which is the proliferation of guns and the availability of firearms. Many of the incidents over the last few weeks and months have involved firearms in the hands of people who shouldn’t have had them.”

Bedford police said Washington Street would be closed during the afternoon.