UXBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Police say a Sutton man beat his girlfriend to death after what he told them was an argument over his not calling her while he was out of town.
Thomas Starefos was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Monday in Uxbridge District Court to charges of manslaughter and domestic assault and battery.
A dangerousness hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.
Authorities say the 49-year-old Starefos called 911 at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Starefos said his girlfriend had punched him, then he punched her in self-defense and blacked out.
Court documents said police and fire officials found 60-year-old Colleen Butler in a puddle of blood in the kitchen of the home they shared, with a laceration across her face.
The Telegram & Gazette reports that Michael Hussey, Starefos' lawyer, said his client is "extremely distressed and distraught."