The man indicted for killing four family members in their West Brookfield home appeared before a judge Wednesday.
Matthew Locke, 32, of Ware was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 21 for the slayings of 38-year-old Sara Bermudez and her three children: 2-year-old Michael, 6-year-old Hames and 8-year-old Madison. Their bodies were found with multiple stab wounds on March 1, after police responded to a well-being check. He was arraigned Wednesday on those charges.
Locke’s cousin, Moses Bermudez, was Sara Bermudez’s husband and was reportedly out of town the day of the murders. Prosecutors said they were not considering him as a possible suspect.
The suspect was accused of lying to police after he allegedly claimed that Moses said MS-13 gang members could be behind his family’s murders. Court documents say Locke lied about when he was last in the Bermudez home and misrepresented his relationship with Sara Bermudez. Locke has been in police custody since he was arrested in March.
Locke was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to the slayings, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors have not yet revealed a motive for the family’s murder.
Locke appeared at Worcester Superior Court. His attorney was killed over the summer when a crowbar crashed through his windshield. It is unclear if Locke has a new lawyer.
