Names Released in Murder-Suicide Deaths in Ashby

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MA—The two victims in a murder-suicide in Ashby have been identified, the Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan and Ashby Chief of Police Fred Alden have confirmed.

Around 1:37 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26, Ashby police officers responded to a report of a death on Watatic Mountain Road in Ashby. They found a man and woman dead on the front lawn when they arrived.

The individuals have been identified as Rebecca Griffin, 51, of Fitchburg, and John Griffin, 55, the resident of the home on Watatic Mountain Road. The two were previously married but divorced in approximately 1990. Rebecca Griffin would come by her ex husband’s home to help him with errands, said police.

According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, both had died from multiple sharp-force wounds indicative of the use of a knife. Investigators say that John Griffin stabbed Rebecca Griffin outside of the home, and then died from self-inflicted sharp-force wounds.

“This is a senseless and tragic crime,” stated District Attorney Ryan in a statement. “Rebecca Griffin would come to her ex husband’s home to assist him with day-to-day errands such as grocery shopping and bringing him to doctor’s appointments and sadly, she lost her life in the interest of helping him.”

“Ashby is a small, quiet town where incidents like these are not common,” Ashby Police Chief Alden said in a statement. “This was an isolated situation and at no time was the public ever in danger. Thank you to our residents for their patience and understanding during our investigation.”

Next of kin have been notified and this is an open and active investigation being conducted by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Ashby Police Department.