The state’s highest court has upheld the conviction of Andrew MacCormack, who in the summer of 2017 brutally murdered his wife, a beloved Lynn elementary school teacher.
“Having carefully reviewed the record, we discern no error that would warrant vacating the conviction, or ordering a new trial, and no reason to grant relief,” Supreme Judicial Court Justice Serge Georges, Jr. wrote in the Tuesday ruling.
A Suffolk Superior Court jury in November 2019 found Andrew MacCormack guilty of murdering Vanessa, who in the SJC ruling goes under the married name MacCormack but in previous reporting on the case was identified as Vanessa Masucci. MacCormack was sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors at the time said that it happened in a fit of domestic violence when she threatened to leave him over his erratic behavior which included destroying the couple’s finances — and even pawning their wedding rings — to support his rampant cocaine and steroid habit.
“Vanessa Masucci’s future was violently ripped away from her by the person who took an oath, promising to love and care for her,” then-Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins said following the verdict.
Andrew MacCormack cried during his arraignment as prosecutor Ian Polumbaum described the injuries Vanessa Masucci suffered in the bedroom of the couple’s Revere home on Sept. 23, 2017. Those injuries included “blunt trauma to her face, slash and stab wounds on her neck, signs of manual strangulation and suffocation,” Polumbaum said, adding that the last bit had probably come “from a trash bag that had been put on her head, apparently in an effort to catch the blood.”
The couple’s 1-year-old child was present at the time of the murder. Prosecutors say that he took the baby with him as he went to buy coke following the murder.
Evidence showed that Andrew MacCormack’s $400 to $500 a week cocaine habit — and, as the SJC write-up says, an interest in sex workers he found on the internet — had put strain on the couple’s relationship.
“I hate you so much you’ve ruined (our daughter’s) life because she won’t have her parents together…,” Vanessa wrote in a text on Aug. 31, 2017, according to previous Herald reporting. “I’ll talk to (agent) tomorrow about listing the house and I’ll look into divorce lawyers…”
“Ur crazy,” Andrew replied. “I’m not signing anything to sell the house or get divorced.”
While Andrew MacCormack will remain in prison for life, Masucci’s legacy is much more warm. Her dual passions for softball and education live on. A yearly softball tournament in her honor is used to fundraise for the Vanessa Masucci Scholarship, which awards $1,000 yearly to a graduating high school softball athlete from a Lynn High School who is accepted to a college or university.
“Vanessa Grace Masucci was a beloved mother, daughter, sister, aunt, Godmother, cousin, friend and teacher whose life was tragically cut short in September 2017,” Lynn English High School states on a page dedicated to the scholarship. “Although she is no longer with us, her love of life, infectious laugh and smile will live on forever. Her friends and family created this scholarship in order to celebrate her life and love for education.”
The Daily Item, Masucci’s hometown paper in Lynn, reports that the 2022 scholarship recipient was Lily Newhall, a softball player from St. Mary’s High School, where Masucci had also graduated. The next softball tournament is scheduled to take place on Aug. 8, according to the event’s Facebook page.
