iStock/Thinkstock(BOSTON) — Prosecutors in Massachusetts believe a man accused of killing two engaged Boston doctors didn’t know his victims, but no motive behind the killing has been released.
With a suspect in custody, and two families in mourning, here is what we know about the Friday night murders.
A text for help
Police officers were called to the Macallen Building in South Boston Friday night after a friend received a text from 49-year-old Richard Field requesting that police be notified of a gunman in Field’s penthouse apartment, prosecutors said.
Responding officers found 30-year-old Bampumim Teixeira there; Teixeira was shot multiple times and then was taken into custody and hospitalized, police said.
Fields and his fiancé, 38-year-old Lina Bolanos, were both bound and sustained trauma, and they died at the scene, officials said.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said that “inside the apartment, investigators found a black backpack full of jewelry, as well as a replica firearm and at least one knife.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said Monday there is no evidence to conclude that the suspect had a personal relationship with the doctors and there is no evidence to explain “why he would attack them so viciously in their own home.”
The engaged doctors
Bolanos was a pediatric anesthesiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, said John Fernandez, the hospital’s president and CEO.
“Dr. Bolanos was an outstanding pediatric anesthesiologist and a wonderful colleague in the prime of both her career and life,” he said in a statement. “We will do all we can to support their families and our staff members who are processing this senseless tragedy and grieving an enormous loss.”
Her mother wrote in a Facebook post in Spanish, “My beautiful girl, nothing and no one could rip you from my heart.”
“I was a very proud mother because of your achievements, your gift of people, of your unconditional surrender to family, your job and everything that you wanted to do. … God has you in heaven, my angel.”
Bolanos’ fiancé, Field, “was a guiding vision” at North Shore Pain Management, which he helped create in 2010, the practice said in a statement. Before that, he worked as an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at Beverly Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Dr. Field was noted for his tireless devotion to his patients, staff and colleagues,” the practice said. “He was a valued member of the medical community and a tremendous advocate for his patients. His tragic and sudden passing leaves an inescapable void in all of us. Our deepest thoughts are with his friends and family.”
Field’s family said in a statement that the couple had an infectious joy for life and absolute love for family.
“They thrived on traveling, experiencing cultures and making friends in every port. As such, their loss will be felt by family and loved ones across the world,” the family said.
“As doctors, they dedicated their professional lives to alleviating suffering and ensuring the safety of those most vulnerable — children undergoing surgery,” the family said. “As family members, they adored their nieces and nephews as if their own children and always found the time to take interest in each and every one of us, no matter what was on their plate.
“Their passing is a tragedy beyond measure and our lives will forever be changed. However, we want to remember Richard and Lina for who they were, not how they died. Their impact in the world — in the lives of those who they loved, those who loved them, and the patients that they cared for — is the real newsworthy story. We will remember and celebrate their passion, gentility, and extraordinary kindness forever.”
The district attorney corrects the record
At a news conference Monday evening, District Attorney Conley said that an earlier statement from Boston Police Commissioner William Evans that Teixeira fired on responding police officers was inaccurate and clarified that Teixeira did not fire on police when he was taken into custody at the crime scene.
When the officers entered the darkened apartment Friday night, they “encountered an unknown person — later identified as Teixeira — wearing dark clothing,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement Monday. “Believing this person either pointed or fired a weapon at them, two officers discharged their own weapons and struck him in the hand, abdomen, and leg.”
Conley said he spoke with Evans about this and that he agreed it was important to correct the record.
The suspected killer
Teixeira was arraigned Monday afternoon from his hospital bed on two counts of murder. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf for both charges. Teixeira, who prosecutors said was recently released from custody after being convicted of larceny, was held without bail.
Teixeira was also held for violating the terms of his probation after his nine months of incarceration for the larceny convictions, the district attorney’s office said.
“Teixeira pleaded guilty last year to passing notes and demanding money from a downtown bank on two occasions. No weapon was shown and no injuries were sustained in either incident,” the district attorney’s office said. “The first case involved passing a note demanding money at a Summer Street bank on June 30, 2016. The second case arose out of an earlier incident that had gone unsolved for almost two years: He volunteered his responsibility for it, unbidden, during his interview with the FBI Bank Robbery Task Force after he was identified in the 2016 case.”
He will next appear in court on June 8. His defense attorney, Steven Sack, declined to comment to ABC News.
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