The family of the Massachusetts mother of four found dead inside her home over the weekend is urging her “cowardly” husband to turn himself in to authorities as the search for the “armed and dangerous” suspect enters its second day.
“He better turn himself in. He’s got to stand up for what he did and turn himself in. And not be a coward,” Brooke Pertile told Boston 25 News about her brother-in-law, Aaron Pennington.
Aaron, 33, has been the subject of a desperate manhunt since Sunday, when his wife, Pertile’s older sister Breanne Pennington, was discovered with a fatal gunshot wound to the face at their Gardner home.
He may have a firearm and is considered “armed and dangerous,” Massachusetts State Police wrote in an update Tuesday morning.
“He needs to surrender. He needs to do it for the children,” Pertile insisted.
Aaron Pennington, 33, has been on the run since Sunday. Aaron Pennington/Facebook
The grieving sister said Aaron had mental health issues that marked the family of six’s seemingly idyllic suburban life.
“He, on the outside, was a very nice person. But he has been struggling with some mental health issues. They were just getting worse,” Pertile explained.
Aaron and Breanne’s marriage was struggling, and Breanne was even planning to move with her four children (ages two, five, seven and nine) to Texas to escape, as a criminal complaint in the case previously revealed.
Breanne Pennington (right) was found shot to death on Sunday. Her husband Aaron (left) is the main suspect. Aaron Pennington/Facebook
Aaron, who spent eight years in the US Air Force and now has an “active secret clearance” with Raytheon Missiles & Defense, according to LinkedIn, has threatened to take his own life in the past, police added.
“She is a very loving, attentive and compassionate woman. “She always saw the best in everything and people,” Pertile said of her late sister.
“He definitely lit up the room like no other, any room he walked into.”
Breanne was remembered as a loving mother to her four young children. Aaron Pennington/Facebook
However, despite the problems in the marriage, family members never suspected or anticipated violence in the Pennington home, he added.
“We are all shocked by this. We are all in shock. We had no idea something like this could ever happen,” Pertile, who spoke to Breanne just three days before the alleged murder, told Boston 25.
At the time of her death, Breanne was even looking forward to raising chickens in her backyard, Pertile added.
Breanne’s body was discovered in an upstairs bedroom Sunday morning after her children ran to a neighbor’s house asking for help, according to the criminal complaint.
Brooke Pertile told a local media outlet that she hopes Aaron gives in to “don’t be a coward.” Facebook/Brooke Pertile
“Four children came home scared because they couldn’t find their father and their mother was crying in her room,” one police officer wrote of the gruesome discovery.
Surveillance footage later revealed that Aaron allegedly fled the scene around 8:50 am.
Bullet casings were found at the scene, but no weapon, according to WCVB.
Breanne was known to have a gun in the home for protection, police documents allegedly noted.
Aaron and Breanne were allegedly having marital problems in the months before her death. Breanne Pennington/Facebook
Authorities found Aaron Pennington’s white 2013 BMW Monday afternoon at a Boy Scout camp in Gardner, Massachusetts State Police confirmed.
However, after an extensive search of the area with K9 dogs, the troubled father of four remained elusive.
The part of Gardner that is near the wooded area where the car was found was also placed under a shelter-in-place order, which has since been lifted.
Aaron Pennington is described as a white man who is 6’2″ and about 175 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes, authorities said.
Anyone who sees him is advised not to approach him but to call 911 immediately.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn