Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 19, 2022 INVESTIGATION | FROM PAGE 1 death. “Judging the actions of Officer Sean Murphy from the perspective of a reasonable officer at the scene and in that moment in time, the shooting of Stephanie Gerardi does not support criminal homicide charges against Officer Murphy,” Blodgett concluded in a five-page report detailing the year-long investigation. “At the moment that he shot and killed Gerardi, Officer Murphy reasonably believed that his life and that of Officer David Harris were in imminent danger,” Blodgett said. “Based upon all of the evidence in this case, this Office will not pursue criminal charges against Officer Murphy.” The investigation found that at 4:32 p.m. on August 14, 2021, Gerardi’s sister and cousin called police to report that Gerardi, whom Saugus Police had assisted in the past, was making suicidal statements, according to a recent press release issued by Blodgett’s office. Four Saugus Police Officers were dispatched to Gerardi’s home at 3 Alfred Rd., where they found her inside the home. After a brief conversation, Gerardi turned suddenly to the kitchen and got a large kitchen knife and proceeded to advance rapidly at the officers with the knife overhead. Officer Murphy fired his weapon three times, killing Gerardi. The investigation included a review of interviews with witnesses and responding Saugus and Lynnfield Police Officers, evidence collected at the scene, police radio transmissions, evidence and witness statements from the scene, information from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services, Crime Lab and Firearm Identification Section. The District Attorney’s Office has referred the case to the Saugus Police Department for whatever internal administrative review is deemed appropriate. (Editor’s Note: Below is the final report issued recently by Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett on his office’s investigation of the Aug. 14, 2021, fatal shooting of Stephanie Gerardi by Saugus Police Officer Sean Murphy.) FINDINGS OF ESSEX COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY JONATHAN W. BLODGETT REGARDING OFFICER INVOLVED FATAL SHOOTING OF STEPHANIE GERARDI IN SAUGUS ON AUGUST 14, 2021. The Essex District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Essex District Attorney’s Office have concluded the investigation into the fatal shooting of Stephanie Gerardi, by the Saugus Police at 3 Alfred Road, Saugus on August 14, 2021. Based upon a thorough review of the facts surrounding the shooting and application of the case law pertaining to the use of force to defend oneself or another, it is determined that officers reasonably believed Gerardi posed an immediate threat of killing or seriously injuring them or others. Accordingly, this office will not pursue criminal homicide charges against the officer who shot Gerardi. Framework for the Investigation The Essex District Attorney’s Office, by statute, has the duty and authority to oversee all death investigations in Essex County. The purpose of the investigation is solely to decide the narrow question whether criminal homicide charges against any of the involved officers are supportable under the law and could be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. A determination as to whether the actions of the involved police officer could constitute a criminal act must be considered in light of the applicable case law on the use of force by law enforcement. To be a lawful use of deadly force, the actions of the officers must be objectively reasonable in light of all of the facts and circumstances confronting them at the scene. The determination of such reasonableness is judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer at the scene and in that moment in time and not through the perspective of hindsight. As stated by the United States Supreme Court, “The calculus of reasonableness must embody allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second judgments – in circumstances that are tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving – about the amount of force that is necessary in a particular situation.” Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S, 386, 396-397 (1989). The investigation included a review of the following: interviews of witnesses who were in contact with Stephanie Gerardi during the time leading up to the shooting and/or were in the home when the shooting occurred; interviews with the Saugus Police Officers and paramedics present at the scene at the time of the shooting and in the immediate aftermath; evidence found at the scene; Saugus Police radio transmissions; and reports of the Medical Examiner and Massachusetts State Police ballistician. Background Information Stephanie Gerardi lived at 3 Alfred Road in Saugus with her two sisters, Deanna and Stacey; her two children; and Deanna’s thirteen-year-old son. She was 37 years old. When Stephanie1 was in her mid-twenties she began to INVESTIGATION | SEE PAGE 7
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