Emilio Matarazzo sentenced to life in prison

WOBURN — A Peabody man convicted of killing his wife in 2018 was sentenced to life in prison without parole in Middlesex Superior Court Thursday, officials said.
After a 19-day trial, Emilio Matarazzo was found guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday in connection with the slaying of his wife, Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo, on Dec. 19, 2018, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement. The killing was apparently motivated by Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo trying to leave her husband after a long history of verbal abuse that had escalated to physical abuse in the months prior to her murder.
“Intimate partner violence continues to be a significant public-safety and public-health issue,” Ryan said in the statement. “We know that when a victim decides to leave a relationship, that time can be incredibly dangerous and in this case, Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo was senselessly murdered when she left the defendant and filed for divorce.”
“Since her murder, her family, neighbors, and her many friends have drawn attention to the important message that domestic violence is a community issue. They have helped to raise awareness and provided resources to aid victims and survivors,” Ryan added.