MARLBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - A man and woman who pleaded not guilty Thursday to burglarizing the Marlborough home of an elderly Vietnam War veteran while he recovers from injuries sustained in a fire told police they needed cash to pay for their dog’s surgery, according to court documents.
Joseph Migliaccio, 35, and Sarah Hampton, 31, both of Sudbury, were arraigned in Marlborough District Court on charges including two counts of breaking and entering a building during the daytime to commit a felony and two counts of larceny from a disabled or elderly person.
They were released on bail under the conditions that they have no contact with the victim and they stay away from his home.
Migliaccio and Hampton are accused of breaking into the Lake Shore home of a 68-year-old veteran Gene Rano, who has been in a medically induced coma at Massachusetts General Hospital since suffering severe burns while burning brush on April 2.
“It’s a tough one for us and that’s why our detectives have been working so hard over the last few days trying to come to an end conclusion to this,” Marlborough Police Sgt. Daniel Campbell said.
The thefts are alleged to have occurred two separate times – April 5 and 7 – and were captured on home surveillance video that the veteran’s son shared with police.
The pair told police that they pawned a number of stolen items, including a flatscreen television, because they were in desperate need of money for one of their pets, court documents indicated.
“The video surveillance was very helpful for us,” Campbell said. “That’s really what led the investigation in this direction where we were able to possibly get an identification, and then speaking with other neighboring communities were able to ID one of the suspects.”
Both Hampton and Migliaccio were aware the man who lived at the residence had been injured in a fire and would not be home, police said.
Migliaccio spoke with reporters Wednesday and said he had permission to take things from the home.
“Because we have our friendship and his son doesn’t know about the friendship,” he claimed. “His son doesn’t know the relationship that me, Geno and Sarah have.”
Rano’s son, Nick, told reporters that he is outraged by the alleged actions of Migliaccio and Hampton. He says his father would have never allowed the couple permission to take anything.
“It’s disgusting. I don’t have words for it,” he said. “Permission to kick a door in, permission to wipe your fingerprints, permission to take a surveillance camera down. That doesn’t sound like permission to me.”
Nick Rano says many of the stolen items were very rare and irreplaceable.
“A letter from our grandfather from the 1960s, military badges, currency from all over the world from when he served,” he said. “How do you get that back?”
Migliaccio and Hampton are due back in court at a later date.
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