A Massachusetts woman was convicted of murdering her husband, a firefighter, in 2021, with jurors rejecting her claim of self-defense.
Christine Ricci, 49, was convicted of second-degree murder and assault and battery with a deadly weapon in Plymouth County court on Aug. 2, according to reports from NBC 10, MassLive and CBS News.
Michael Ricci, a 51-year-old Boston firefighter, was found stabbed in their Marshfield, Mass., home in January 2021, the outlets reported. He reportedly suffered wounds to his heart and back.
CBS reported that a knife was found near Michael’s body.
Authorities claimed that when first responders arrived after the incident, Christine said her husband had suffered a manic episode and fell, according to MassLive. But the responders then discovered the stab wounds, the outlet reported.
Christine then told police, according to CBS, that she had been holding a knife out of fear and that Michael had lunged at her. She reportedly claimed she didn’t know he had been stabbed until he fell.
Citing witnesses during the five-day trial, MassLive reported that Christine had found out about an affair Michael was having, resulting in constant fights between the couple.
Michael and Christine’s daughter, Sophiya, who was 16 at the time of the stabbing, testified that she was “used to” her parents fighting.
NBC 10 reported that Christine will be sentenced on Aug. 22.
“This is an awful tragedy,” the Boston Fire Department said in a statement reported by NBC. “Michael was a valued member of the Boston Fire Department for 23 years. He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.”
