Winchester Man Pleads Guilty to Murder of his Mother and Two Cats

WINCHESTER, MA — A Winchester man has plead guilty to the 2014 murder of his mother, according to District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Matthew McAveeney, 48, of Winchester plead guilty to charges of first-degree murder, assault and battery on a person over the age of 60 and two counts of animal cruelty in connection with the 2014 death of Barbara McAveeney, 70. Judge Laurence Pierce sentenced McAveeney to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first degree murder charge and 4-5 years in State Prison on the charges of animal cruelty and assault and battery on a person over the age of 60.

“With today’s plea Matthew McAveeney has taken responsibility for brutally beating his mother to death before fleeing the state,” said Ryan in a statement.

In October of 2014, police responded to a report of a dead person found in a Swanton Street apartment, later discovering the bodies of Barbara McAveeney and her two cats "Pumpkin" and "Puffy". Matthew McAveeney had been residing with his mother.

It was later discovered that the victim had died due to blunt force trauma to the head, and had been dead for approximately two weeks prior to discovery by the building's landlord.

Matthew McAveeney fled Massachusetts and was arrested in Belmont, North Carolina on Oct. 21, 2014 and returned to Massachusetts the following day.

“I applaud the work of the Winchester Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in bringing a final resolution to this case and justice for Barbara McAveeney," said Winchester Police Chief William MacDonnell in a statement.

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