BILLERICA – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Billerica Chief of Police Daniel Rosa have confirmed that James Forsythe, 26 of Billerica, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his grandmother, Ellen Scaringi, 69 of Billerica.

Yesterday, at approximately 10:17 a.m. Billerica Police received a 911 call for an unresponsive female located in a Village Lane home. Upon arrival police located the victim, identified as Ellen Scaringi, in her home suffering from apparent trauma. She was pronounced dead on scene.

The preliminary investigation suggests that on the morning of October 1, 2020, the victim was with the defendant in the Village Lane residence where they had both been residing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigators believe that the defendant subsequently assaulted the victim resulting in her death. After the alleged altercation the defendant fled the scene using the victim’s vehicle.

At approximately 10:10 a.m., Massachusetts State Police responded to a single vehicle crash on 495 South in Bolton involving the defendant who was operating the victim’s vehicle at the time of the crash. The defendant was transported to a Worcester hospital for treatment of his injuries. The subsequent investigation revealed there were no signs of forced entry into the home and no indication that any other individual not residing in the home had entered the home on the morning of October 1, 2020.

As a result of the investigation a warrant was issued yesterday for the arrest of the defendant in connection with violating a pre-trial condition that he stay away from the Village Lane residence that was in place in connection with an open domestic abuse case with the same victim from May 2019 out of Lowell District Court. Based on the further investigation into this matter the defendant was charged with murder today.

The defendant remains hospitalized and will be arraigned virtually via Zoom today.

The prosecutors assigned to this case are Clarence Brown and Emily Jackson.

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