An unemployed Army veteran and his wife admitted to their roles Thursday in the Father’s Day massacre that left four dead during a holdup for prescription painkillers at a Medford pharmacy.
David Laffer pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder in a Suffolk County courtroom packed with the victims’ friends and family. His wife, Melinda Brady, pleaded guilty to robbery.
“There was no way that he was going to beat this case,” Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota said afterward. “Only he knows why he did what he did.”
Laffer walked into the Haven Drugs pharmacy where he shot and killed a pharmacist and 17-year-old store clerk, as well as two customers who walked in on the carnage.
Brady was not charged with murder because prosecutors say they could not prove she knew of Laffer’s plan to kill the victims. “
I make no excuses for my client,” attorney Eric Naimburg said. He said the only thing Laffer told him about the crimes was “it wasn’t supposed to happen that way.” The couple will be sentenced Oct. 17. Laffer is expected to be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and Brady is expected to be sentenced up to 25 years in prison. -With Associated Press