Murders in Groton: When Tragedy Comes to a Quiet Town

Part One: The Quadruple Homicide on Common Street

Groton, Massachusetts, is known for its rolling farmland, historic homes, elite schools, and quiet New England charm. For generations, it has been a place where families built their lives believing they had found peace.

On September 8, 2017, that peace was shattered.

Inside a home on Common Street, four people were brutally killed in one of the deadliest family homicides in recent Massachusetts history. The victims—Elizabeth Lackey, Frank Lackey, Elizabeth Krause, and home health aide Bertha Mae Parker—were attacked in a place where they should have been safest.

In this episode of Murders in Massachusetts, we go beyond the headlines to examine the events leading up to that tragic day, the frantic phone calls made in the final moments before the killings, the investigation that followed, and the questions that continue to surround the case.

You'll also hear the story of Groton itself—a town whose nearly 400-year history was forever altered by an act of unimaginable violence.

This is not a story about sensationalizing tragedy.

It's about remembering the victims, understanding the circumstances, and exploring how one afternoon changed a community forever.

Part One explores the quadruple homicide on Common Street.

Coming next: Part Two: Behind Closed Doors, examining another tragedy that would once again shake the town of Groton just two years later.

🎙️ Murders in Massachusetts Every Town Has a Story.