# Former Ipswich man charged with killing wife



## DeputyFife (Jun 28, 2005)

Former Ipswich man charged with killing wife 







 
http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/O5/snstory.pl?-sec-News+fn-romurder2-20060624-+page_1 
By Stephen Tait and Steve Landwehr 
_Staff writers _

IPSWICH - A former Ipswich man bludgeoned his wife to death early yesterday morning and then stabbed himself in an apparent suicide attempt, police said.

Kenneth Scott Richards, 48, who goes by his middle name, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the death of his wife, Rachel Richards, 38, of Rowley. Richards pleaded not guilty at his bedside arraignment late yesterday afternoon at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport.

He was listed in stable condition last night in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Richards, 48, is a 1976 graduate of Ipswich High School and a 1980 graduate of Merrimack College. He moved to Rowley several years ago with his wife and their 10-year-old daughter, Samantha. He is the only son of Fran Richards, who retired last November after serving 15 years as the Ipswich town clerk.Reached by phone at her home yesterday, Richards was stunned."Oh, my God! We know nothing about this. ... Oh, my God."Police got a 911 call at 7:55 a.m. from inside the Richardses' condominium building at 8 Longmeadow Drive, according to the Essex County District Attorney's Office.

Other than that, however, they had little to say yesterday about what happened, including what weapon was used.

Neighbors said the couple had been married for 10 years and were trying to sell their home and buy a house in Newburyport.

Charelle Rigal, a 21-year-old mother who lives upstairs, said the Richardses had already picked a house out and had to drop their plans after four months of having the condominium on the market. She said they were both depressed about not being able to move.

"She is such a nice person," Rigal said yesterday outside the complex. "It's just sad - I didn't want to believe it. I found out, and I just cried and cried and cried."

Her father-in-law, Paul Rigal, who also lives in the complex, said the couple would fight, but he thought it was just typical married-couple bickering that most couples experience. He said the Richardses were very quiet, adding that the most noise he heard from them came from their bird, whom he called Jedi.

"This is a quiet, small community," he said.

Rachel Richards was a stay-at-home mother who was looking for a job, neighbors said.

Scott Richards, a resident engineer for Mass Highway, appears to have been a private person who kept to himself for the most part. But former Ipswich classmates were reeling at the news of the slaying. Former Selectman Harry Lampropoulos graduated from Ipswich High School one year before Richards."Wow ... I would never believe that in a million years," he said. "He was the nicest, quietest kid you ever met. He was never in trouble in high school."Maureen Woodworth was secretary of the Class of 1976. She and Scott Richards have planned every five-year class reunion since graduation. "He was a quiet and caring kid in high school," she said. Although she hadn't seen Richards since last October, Woodworth said he seemed happy with his family and his life."Everyone is just shocked," she said.As town clerk, Fran Richards also ran town elections. Even after her son moved to Rowley, he continued to help his mother on Election Day every year.Longtime election clerk Phil Grenier recalled Scott Richards as always having a friendly smile but couldn't offer any more information. "That's the only contact I had with him," Grenier said.The news was just as stunning in the quiet neighborhood where the Richardses lived in Rowley. The last murder in town was a double homicide in 1980, Rowley police Chief Kevin Barry said.Erin Taylor, who lives in the same condominium building as the Richardses, said she woke up this morning, saw the yellow tape wrapped around her front yard and thought people were there to fix gutters or sidewalks.

She quickly learned differently.

"I wasn't expecting to wake up to that," she said, smoking a cigarette on her porch. "It's a place you don't even have to lock your doors. It's always quiet: the apartment building, the street, the town."

Taylor, who has lived there for three years, said she would often see Rachel Richards water her flowers outside the patio door. In the winter, Scott Richards would plow the parking lot and clean the snow off parked cars.

"They're a nice family," she said. "It's one of those typical things that you read about in the newspapers, 'Oh, they were a nice family.' "

At his arraignment yesterday, Richards did not object to being held without bail, according to his lawyer, John Andrews. Essex County Sheriff officers will guard him at the hospital, and he will undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He is due to appear in Newburyport District Court Tuesday for an initial pretrial hearing.


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2006)

Does any one know when Rachel's funeral will be and where it will be held at? I am a friend of her's from out of state and I am having a real hard time finding anything out any information would be great Thanks


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

Rest in peace my Rachel. Love you always


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