Person Of Interest In Murder Of Brockton Mother Found Dead

BROCKTON (CBS) -- A man who was a person of interest in the murder of a Brockton mother was found dead of an apparent suicide Monday evening, the Plymouth District Attorney's office said.

The body of Matias Andrade, 38, who the DA says was Monteiro's ex-boyfriend, was found in the woods off Route 93 in Braintree.

Police had been seeking Andrade after his girlfriend, Eugenia Gomes Monteiro, 30, was shot in the head and killed in her Lexington Street home.

Plymouth DA Timothy Cruz said police were called around 5:30 p.m. Monday when Monteiro missed a child's pick-up from school. About half an hour later, her brother called 911 to say that he found her shot.

Cruz said in a press conference Tuesday morning that Andrade was the sole person of interest in the case.

He said Andrade went to a family home in Dorchester, where his family members said he appeared to be "extremely upset."

Investigators found Monteiro's white Honda Civic, which they said Andrade had taken from her home, abandoned earlier Monday evening. State Police air and K-9 units detected Andrade's cell phone signal and found his body around midnight.

Cruz said a gun believed to have been used in Monteiro's murder was found near Andrade's body.

Cruz said Monteiro did not take out any restraining orders against Andrade--but he said she recently texted a family member worried that Andrade would "kill her" if he found out that she was in a new relationship.

"I think that obviously, based on the text information that she received, she was very concerned about this information, of him finding out that she had a different relationship," he said.

He called the case another horrible example of domestic violence.

"Obviously, people need to understand they need to better work out issues with their loved ones rather than taking to violence," Cruz said. "And in this instance, last night, unfortunately, he chose the wrong route."

Earlier in the night, family members huddled outside the crime scene said Monteiro had just purchased the Lexington Street residence. Family and friends told WBZ-TV that Monteiro was a great mom who was always ready to help others.

"She is one of the type of people, she'd do anything you ask her to do," friend Zezito Alves said. "It doesn't matter what she's doing. She leaves what she's doing to help you out."

She leaves behind a ten-year-old.

Police said they were still investigating the murder, which Cruz said was the first homicide of 2017 in both the city and county.

In:
• Brockton
• Murder
• Mike LaCrosse