A DIVORCE lawyer shot and killed his wife who had coronavirus on Christmas Day and then pulled the trigger on himself to end his life.
John Liquori’s motive is still unknown, but Covid-19 was a factor leading up to the murder-suicide.
Cindy Liquori, 55, tested positive for the virus and her husband, a well-known divorce attorney in Connecticut, may have been infected with it too, Windsor Locks Detective Sgt. Jeff Lampson told the Hartford Courant on Monday.
The wife was at the home of her mother, Claire Palmer, who was at a hospital getting treatment for Covid-19, according to authorities.
Cindy Liquori was sleeping at the house on Dale Street when her husband shot her, a state police source told the newspaper.
John Liquori, 59, then shot and killed himself, according to the source.
The lawyer called his wife’s brother on Friday evening and told him to come over and take Palmer’s dogs, which Cindy Liquori was taking care of, Lampson said.
John Liquori called the brother again not long after and “the conversation they had raised serious concerns,” the detective said.
The brother arrived at the home around 6pm and found the Liquoris dead, along with a revolver.
No evidence has been uncovered to suggest that the couple were estranged.
Police are continuing the investigation and may serve search warrants.
The couple’s autopsies have been administered but as of Monday afternoon, the medical examiner had not provided details.
John Liquori practiced law from his office in Suffield and previously worked as a family court attorney for more than three decades.
His friend, lawyer David Kelly, told the Hartford Courant that he was “someone who understood the law and how to practice it.”
“Divorce work is a brutal business under the best of circumstances,” Kelly said.
The Liquoris were “wonderful people,” Kelly said, and their deaths were “a real shock.”
Cindy Liquori owned Cindy’s Soap Cottage in East Windsor.
She had expanded her business recently, in light of the pandemic, to produce hand sanitizer and face masks.
“When the pandemic started, I wanted to ensure that my store was essential, so I hired about 15 people to make masks,” she told the Windsor Locks Patch.
“To date, we have sold over 16,000 handmade local quality masks, which I’m very proud of. We worked our tails off to get them out quickly at a great price. We also sold over 8,000 bottles of hand sanitizer.”
The Liquoris had one child together.
