Mass. man pleads guilty to bomb he built at his home to kill others, used 'recipe' to build it
A Haverhill man pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive device and threatening to use it at his home , an explosive device capable of impacting anything in a 300-meter radius, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker's office said Friday.
David Farnsworth, 64, pleaded guilty in Salem Superior Court to two counts of possessing an incendiary device, carrying a firearm without a license, possessing a large-capacity firearm, carrying a firearm without a firearm identification card and possessing ammunition without a firearm identification card.
One of Farnsworth's firearm-related charges was in connection with him being stopped in Wrentham on the day of the police response to his home, Tucker's office said.
Judge Thomas Drechsler sentenced Farnsworth to 2 and a half to 2 and a half years and one day in state prison, followed by three years of probation, the statement read. Farnsworth must undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment. Drechsler ordered that he not possess any guns, incendiary devices and pieces to build incendiary devices.
On June 28, 2024, Haverhill police received a call about Farnsworth that said he talked about building a bomb to kill himself and others, and that it was "ready to go off with minimal movement, Tucker's office said.
"A search of the premises yielded the explosive device and related materials as well as what [Assistant District Attorney Maria] Markos called a 'recipe' for a bomb," Tucker's office said.
Nearby homes were evacuated, with Haverhill police and the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad arriving shortly after police learned of the bomb, the statement read.
With the help of robotic platforms and other tools, bomb squad technicians determined the device posed a "significant danger and could not safely be transported," State Fire Marshal Jon Davine's office previously said.
Through a controlled detonation, the device was no longer a threat to the area , leaving no one hurt, Davine's office said. Residents in the area were allowed to return home, though Rosebud Avenue stayed closed "for a short time" until emergency vehicles cleared the area.
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