Murder in Massachusetts

Chapter

A Hired Gun

Regarding Christopher, Amanda's boyfriend's father believed he had severe "mental issues. I got that right off the bat," he told police. But, at the same time, he said Christopher "seemed like a nice kid." Still, it was Patricia who the man saw as the one causing all the problems in the family. "Amanda kind of hinted once that her mother wanted to find someone to get rid of her stepfather. ... I got the impression her mother was looking for someone to kill [Neil]." Furthermore, when he spoke to Patricia himself, she gave him the impression she wanted Neil dead.

How?

"Just the way she was talking about Neil," he explained, "that she could not get away from him and that she couldn't leave him."

A Catch-22, in other words. He felt Patricia was "hinting" and "hoping" he would "volunteer to get rid of Neil for her."

But of course he wanted no part of it.

During another statement he gave detectives some time later, when pressured, the man talked a bit more about Christopher.

"I can tell you that he was a little weird. You could tell he was out there. The books he had: like black magic shit."

Christopher rarely spoke of Patricia. Instead, he was more concerned for the child he had with his ex-girlfriend. He believed his ex-girlfriend was trying to take the child away from him. This unnerved Christopher greatly.

Under further questioning, Amanda later opened up about her mother's desire to have Neil murdered. There was one time at Mrs. O's, Amanda recalled to law enforcement, when she claimed Patricia asked her if she "would either help kill Neil or find a gun. She wanted him killed with a gun," Amanda added. She was adamant that it had to be done with a gun.

"She would tell us [Amanda and her friend] that [my friend] could do it and we would have anything we would ever want."

"No, mother!" Amanda said she snapped at her mother that day. "My friend is not going to kill anyone. I'm not going to help you."

"Well," Amanda said Patricia answered back, "can you at least help me get a gun?"

"No!"

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1. The Sign Maker
2. "It's My Fault"
3. The Horse Did It
4. No Money, No Funeral
5. The Bloody Pipe
6. The Skull Ring
7. A Wedding to Remember
8. Anarchist
9. Who Needs School
10. A Son's Love
11. Footprints in the Snow
12. The Cover-up
13. Running Around Naked
14. Sex Before Death
15. Out Cold
16. Liar, Liar
17. Caught in a Trap
18. Moment of Death
19. Black Out
20. Back It Up with Evidence
21. Amanda's Story
22. More Lies
23. Patricia's Mental Breakdown
24. Amanda Comes Clean?
25. Throw Momma From the Train
26. More Witnesses
27. A Hired Gun
28. The Phone Call
29. Pieces Fit Together
30. Mind Games
31. Who's Telling the Truth?
32. Her Day in Court
33. Law Enforcement's Story
34. More Cops, More Evidence
35. Patricia Defends Herself
36. No Further Explanation
37. The Jury Speaks
38. Epilogue