A Marlborough, Massachusetts, woman who police said was fatally shot by her boyfriend before he turned the gun on himself was working to realize her dreams in the United States while still supporting her family in Brazil, according to friends.
Marlborough police responded to a call Wednesday morning about a shooting at a home on Rice Street. Inside, police found Kethlen Paula Alves Trindade DaRocha, 28, and Marlon Moreira Costa, 29, both of Marlborough, dead from apparent gunshot wounds, according to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
“I’ve seen his truck here a few times. They never really gave off that vibe. I’ve never seen them fight. That’s why it’s so tragic it happened the way it happened. Because from my point of view, I’ve never seen any issues,” said neighbor Tony Garcia.
A friend who started an online fundraising campaign to pay for DaRocha’s cremation wrote, “She had to come the U.S. with the American dream of helping her family.”
A friend of DaRocha’s said she owned a hair salon in Brazil before moving to the United States and that she was still taking care of her family in Brazil.
“We’ll be trying to do a decent funeral for her and her friends over here and try to send her back to her family down in Brazil,” said Junior Dantas.
Police said the man had allegedly threatened the woman at his home Tuesday night, and then forced his way into her home through a window before shooting her and then himself Wednesday morning, police said.
Marlborough police said the Tuesday incident was not reported to the department and investigators learned of it after speaking with one of DaRocha’s roommates after the shootings on Wednesday.
“We extend our deepest and most sincere condolences to Kethlen’s family, friends, and loved ones and hope they can find the strength to cope with such an enormous tragedy. According to her friends, she moved to the U.S. only two years ago, looking to improve her life and assist her family in Brazil,” Jane Doe Inc. member Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers said in a statement.
The incident is being investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office and Marlborough police.
