DA: Man bludgeoned mother, grandparents, caretaker to death at Groton home

AYER, Mass. (WHDH) – A not-guilty plea has been entered on behalf of a recent college graduate charged in the beating deaths of three family members and a caretaker at a Groton home last week.

RELATED: 22-year-old man in custody after 4 found dead in Groton

Orion Krause, 22, of Rockport, Maine, was ordered held without bail at Bridgewater State Hospital pending a competency hearing at his arraignment on murder charges Monday in Ayer.

An elderly man and woman and two middle-aged women were found murdered Friday at the Common Street home. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan says the victims were Krause’s mother, grandparents and his grandparents’ caretaker.

The victims were identified as grandparents, Elizabeth Lackey, 85, and Frank Lackey, 89, both of Groton. The suspect’s mother was identified as Elizabeth Krause, 60, of Rockport, Maine. The home health caretaker was identified as Bertha Mae Parker, 68, of Groton.

Ryan says the victims appeared to have died of blunt force trauma. She says a baseball bat was recovered at the scene.

Ryan called the situation “a tragic incident of family violence.” She says the bodies of Krause’s family members were found inside the home, while the caretaker’s body was found outside.

Krause traveled with his mother to his grandparents’ home on Sept. 7, according to investigators. At some point, investigators say he attacked and killed all four people before fleeing. Officers later found Krause in a nearby yard.

Krause is an Oberlin College graduate and jazz drummer. Krause’s attorneys refused to offer any additional details.

Police are still at the scene of the murders as their investigation continues. The motive behind the killings is not clear.

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