Authorities said Thursday that the man accused of stabbing 48-year-old Veronica Goncalves to death in her Brockton driveway on Wednesday afternoon had died.
Tim Cruz, the District Attorney for Plymouth County, said that Joao Correia, 56, died late Wednesday night after eating battery acid because of the attack.
The attack on Goncalves was described as “savage, brutal, and unprovoked” by investigators.
On Wednesday afternoon, police were called to a home on Crescent Street and discovered her bleeding in the driveway. She’d been slashed in the head and was declared dead on the scene.
Officers later discovered Correia inside the apartment wearing bloodied clothing. They took him to the police station for questioning.
“Correia informed investigators that he had consumed battery acid and experienced a medical episode. Correia was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital before being flown to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston via Medflight. Correia was declared dead at 9:36 p.m. last night, “Cruz” stated Thursday afternoon in a statement.
There has been no word on a motive, but investigators say Correia was Goncalves’ ex-boyfriend.
“We’re still in shock with what happened, putting the pieces together,” Goncalves’ nephew Pedro Rosario said on Wednesday. “As you can see, we don’t have a response.”
Goncalves had just returned from dropping off her daughter at work and was driving her 2-year-old grandson.
“It appears she was attacked right inside her car,” Rosario said. “And in the back seat was her granddaughter.”
He went on to say that the granddaughter was not physically hurt and is safe with family, but she has been badly shaken.
“This appears to have been a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence,” Cruz said.
Her family stated that Goncalves had not been in the United States for long and that they were baffled as to why someone would want to murder her.
Goncalves was described by Rosario as a “very hardworking, independent, strong-minded woman who is always looking out for her children.”
You can Get More Information From CBSnews
Read More
- Nearly 200 Episodes Of ‘sesame Street’ Have Been Removed From Hbo Max
- Mexico Claims That The Disappearance Of 43 Students Was A State Crime
- Tyga And Selena Gomez’s Los Angeles Outing Sparks Dating Rumors
- After Dating For Three Years, Liam Hemsworth And Gabriella Brooks Broke Up
