Crime & Safety

Mortimer Indicted

A Middlesex Grand Jury indicted Thomas Mortimer, IV on four counts of murder in the first degree.

Thomas Mortimer, IV., 43, was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on four counts of murder in the first degree.

He will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on Sep. 2 at 9 a.m. in courtroom 440.

Mortimer had his two previous court dates postponed - a probable cause hearing on August 18 and a status conference on August 8 - due to scheduling conflicts. Mortimer will now begin his trial on Sep. 2 in the Middlesex Superior Court.

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The father faces four charges of first-degree murder in connection with the quadruple homicide in his family's Winchester home. He is accused of murdering his wife, 41-year-old Laura Stone Mortimer, her two children, 2-year-old Charlotte Mortimer and 4-year-old Thomas Mortimer V, and Laura's mother, 64-year-old Ragna Ellen Stone.

Authorities allege that the defendant murdered four members of his family after an argument with his wife and ongoing marital discord.

Find out what's happening in Winchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mortimer was arrested June 17 after he was sighted in Montague, MA at approximately 11:45 am by a father and son.  The witnesses then copied the plate number of the vehicle Mortimer was driving and reported it to local police.  Mortimer was apprehended in Bernardston after attempting to flee and was arrested by members of the Bernardston Police Department at approximately 1:13 pm.

Mortimer was arraigned on June 18 in Woburn District Court and ordered held without bail by Judge James Barretto.

On Wednesday, June 16, police entered Mortimer's home after a relative informed police that she had not heard from the family in two days. That's when police discovered the bodies.

"After having been in that scene I can tell you, after making observations of that scene, it was horrific, disturbing and unspeakable," Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said at the time in a news conference.

The Assistant District Attorneys assigned to the case are Adrienne Lynch and John McEvoy.  The Victim Witness Advocate assigned is Anne Foley. This case was investigated by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and Winchester Police Department with assistance from the United States Marshall Service, Montague Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Avon, CT Police Department, New Hampshire State Police and Bartlett, NH Police Department; Vermont State Police and Andover Police Department.


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