A Rhode Island man slaughtered his family before taking his own life in what his brother described as a “cowardly, despicable act.”
Nicholas Arruda, 39, used a “M4-type semi-automatic weapon” to shoot his seven-month pregnant wife Danielle Arruda, and their two kids, ages 2 and 5, multiple times before turning the gun on himself sometime between 8 p.m. Jan. 01 and 5:20 a.m. Jan. 02.
West Greenwich Police Chief Richard Ramsay described the scene as “one of worst” in a Wednesday news conference.
“It was apparent there were no signs of life to any of the bodies and that all four had suffered fatal gunshot wounds,” Ramsay said.
Danielle’s coworkers sent police to her home after she missed two days of work and because she was heavily pregnant.
Ramsay said the home was “not locked but had a safety chain latched, which could only be done from inside the home.”
“We still have to go through all the motions to find out…if there’s anything that somebody missed. Any reason would lead someone to do what he had done to his family.”
Jesse Arruda admitted that his brother “committed the most cowardly, despicable act one could perpetrate.”
“Quite literally the opposite of what a man is supposed to do. My heart is broken for the children, my sister-in-law, and her family.”
