Mass. woman killed by her brother was left dead in their home for days, police say
A Sandwich woman who police found dead in her home Tuesday morning was killed by her brother during a fight, according to court documents. Investigators believe her body was left in an upstairs bedroom for days as her brother got drunk downstairs.
Kenneth Beltrame, 67, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the death of 61-year-old Jennifer Beltrame during his arraignment in Barnstable District Court on Wednesday, according to court records.
The judge ordered that Beltrame's competence to stand trial be evaluated. He is being held without bail at Bridgewater State Hospital.
How Jennifer Beltrame's body was discovered
The investigation into Jennifer Beltrame's death began on March 24 after a friend of hers called 911 to request a well-being check shortly after 10 a.m., according to a police report. Beltrame's friend said she typically spoke to Beltrame twice a day, but hadn't heard from her since the morning of March 19.
The friend said she was uncomfortable going to Beltrame's home to check on her because Kenneth Beltrame lived on the first floor. She described her friend's brother as "mentally disturbed" and said she was afraid of him.
A Sandwich police officer arrived at the Beltrames' home at 20 Freeman Ave. shortly after 10:50 a.m. and knocked on the door, but no one answered. After briefly speaking with the neighbors, the officer saw Kenneth Beltrame leave the home.
The officer found Beltrame carrying a plastic cup of what appeared to be wine. The police report describes Beltrame as "unsteady on his feet, red eyes, scabs on his hands, arms and face." His clothing was also soiled with urine and feces, and there were bloodstains on his hands and pants.
"Kenneth stated in a slurred speech, 'Are you here to take me away? I'm in trouble and need help,'" police wrote. At one point, he told the officer that he "f***** up" and that "it's all over now."
When asked where his sister was, Beltrame told the officer that she had fallen down the stairs and died and that her body was upstairs, according to the report. When asked how long his sister had been dead, he said he didn't know what day it was, but that "She's been like that for days."
After notifying other officers of the situation, the officer who initially responded to the home went inside and found it "in complete squalor." He discovered Jennifer Beltrame's body in a seated position up against a bed in a second-floor bedroom.
The investigation
As more officers responded to the scene, Kenneth and Jennifer Beltrame's sister arrived at the home with her husband to check on Jennifer Beltrame, according to the report. Kenneth Beltrame, who was outside the home with the officers, repeatedly told his sister he was "sorry."
Officers informed the sister of Jennifer Beltrame's death, and she and her husband left the scene. Soon after, an ambulance took Kenneth Beltrame to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth for a mental health evaluation.
State Police detectives from the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office arrived at the scene around noon. The detectives saw that Jennifer Beltrame's face was wounded, and that she had dark, heavy bruising around her eyes and nose.
Investigators found bloodstains on a fan near the bed, on a wall nearby, on the top two steps of the stairs to the second floor and along the wall next to the stairs. They also discovered a small dent in the wall across from the stairs.
During an interview with Jennifer Beltrame's friend later that afternoon, the friend told detectives that Jennifer Beltrame had said her brother was unemployed and often stole money and food from her. Jennifer Beltrame also described her brother as "verbally and mentally abusive" towards her, her friend said.
The friend told detectives she believed Jennifer Beltrame had not described the full extent of the abuse. She described Jennifer Beltrame as someone who was isolated from friends and family and had few resources.
Kenneth Beltrame's account
Detectives questioned Kenneth Beltrame around 7:30 p.m. after he had been taken back to the Sandwich Police Station and sobered up, according to the police report. During the interview, he gave inconsistent and "contradictory" statements and appeared nervous and excessively shaky when questioned about his sister's death.
At first, Beltrame claimed his sister had fallen down the stairs repeatedly due to a recent surgery, according to the report. He said her injuries were due to the falls, as well as a seizure she had had a few days ago.
As the interview continued, Beltrame admitted that he and his sister frequently got into physical fights, and that they had gotten into a particularly violent one a few days ago, according to the report. He said that he'd repeatedly struck and strangled her, then left her on her bed where she had a seizure.
Beltrame said he hadn't heard from his sister after leaving her on her bed, and that he developed "a sneaking suspicion that she was dead" over the next few days when he didn't hear her moving around upstairs, according to the police report. He also admitted to having cleaned up some of the blood around the house after the fight.
Beltrame told detectives he'd been drinking a box of wine a day for the last few months and had gotten drunk after the fight, according to the report. He said he was still wearing the clothes he had worn at the time of the fight.
Beltrame claimed he didn't call 911 to get help for his sister because he thought she was dead and was worried about facing criminal charges, according to the report. Detectives wrote that when they informed him that they would be charging him with his sister's murder, he seemed unsurprised.
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