Jennifer Pamula, left, and Danielle Pamula, right, are twin sisters charged with murdering their father with large pruning shears. (Screenshot via WPRI)
Twin sisters in Rhode Island killed their 70-year-old father with a pair of garden shears during an argument earlier this year, authorities say.
Jennifer Pamula, 38, from the mid-sized town of Woonsocket, was arrested last Thursday; his sister, Danielle Pamula, 38, was arrested last Friday. They are each charged with one count of domestic murder following the late January death of Joseph Pamula, according to Providence, Rhode Island-based NBC affiliate WJAR.
“It was definitely, it was a violent death, that our officers immediately, when they responded to the scene, knew they were dealing with what was going to be a homicide,” the police chief said. of Woonsocket, Thomas Oates, in comments reported by television. station.
The victim was found dead inside his own home on January 30, police said at the time. He was stabbed in the neck with what law enforcement said was a “large” pair of garden shears, according to New England Cable News, a regional cable news network run by NBCUniversal.
The deceased’s obituary details his passions and employment over the years: “Mr. Pamula was a warehouse worker for local businesses such as Tupperware, Ann & Hope and, most recently, TriLiteral. Joseph was a kind and social man, an accomplished guitarist who played with several bands over the years, could be found at many open mic parties, and always loved to hang out.
The obituary does not mention the two girls accused of killing him.
The scale of the gruesome scene was initially kept under wraps – but the incident was immediately investigated as a domestic homicide and one of the man’s daughters was questioned while he was away. police custody hours after the shocking discovery, WJAR reported.
According to Providence-based CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate WPRI, law enforcement seized several knives, stone fragments with and without blood, a gargoyle head, a hacksaw, phones and clothing from the two sisters. of the Cato Street residence.
At first, Jennifer Pamula was the only suspect. His sister allegedly told law enforcement she was taking a shower at the time of the murder and then took a nap – waking up later to find her father dead.
But then, according to law enforcement, Danielle Pamula, who called police on the day in question, began telling people she was in fact involved in the patricidal murder, police said.
“Ultimately, when she’s faced with matching injuries on her hand as well as her twin sisters’ hand,” Special Assistant Attorney General Jessica Villella said in comments reported by WJAR late in the week. last. “They were both injured in this incident, she admitted to the police, they had both participated in the murder of her father.”
At the crime scene, Jennifer Pamula reportedly told police, “I had to do it” and “I can’t be hurt anymore.”
Danielle later allegedly told law enforcement that the violence stemmed from an argument between her sister and father over the sale of the family home and the disposal of several cats.
“We had been there on previous occasions for domestic issues, but none of them raised the point that anyone had been mugged or that there had been violence at home. home,” Oates told WJAR. “It was mostly about some minor family disputes.”
Both defendants were living at home with their father when he was killed. Both twins are now being held without bail.
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