A man from Rhode Island tragically took the lives of his pregnant wife, two young children, and himself in what his brother called a “cowardly and despicable act.”
Nicholas Arruda, 39, used a semi-automatic weapon to fatally shoot his seven-months-pregnant wife, Danielle Arruda, along with their two children, aged 2 and 5, before turning the gun on himself. The incident happened between the evening of January 1 and early morning on January 2... Continue reading here ▶
West Greenwich Police Chief Richard Ramsay described the scene as one of the worst he had ever encountered during a press conference.
“There were no signs of life in any of the bodies, and all four had suffered fatal gunshot wounds,” Ramsay said.
Danielle’s coworkers became concerned and alerted police after she missed two days of work. She was also heavily pregnant. When officers arrived at the home, they found the door unlocked but secured with a safety chain that could only be fastened from inside.
Ramsay stated that investigators are working to determine if there were any warning signs or reasons behind the tragedy. “We need to go through everything to see if there was something that could have been noticed.”
Nicholas’s brother, Jesse Arruda, expressed his heartbreak and condemnation of the act. “This was the most cowardly, despicable thing a person could do. It’s the opposite of what a man is supposed to do. My heart breaks for the children, my sister-in-law, and her family.”
