A Massachusetts man is in custody after he allegedly murdered his girlfriend before stabbing both of his parents at a family birthday party.
MassLive reports that Ben Walsh is accused of stabbing his girlfriend Olivia Bergstrom to death before heading to an Italian restaurant in Millis where he stabbed both of his parents in front of horrified relatives and restaurant workers.
Walsh, 24, was reportedly barefoot and dirty when he stormed into the restaurant where his family was celebrating a birthday party, brandishing a knife. According to court documents obtained by MassLive, the suspect first attacked his mother and then stabbed his father. Relatives were able to subdue him before police arrived, and his parents survived the attack with serious injuries.
While he was being restrained, the suspect reportedly said, “F— you b——, I’m going to kill you all.”
Concerned family worried about the safety of Walsh’s 20-year-old girlfriend Olivia Bergstrom told police that the couple lived together at a home in Needham. Officers reported there for a wellness check and found Bergstrom’s body. She had been stabbed multiple times.
The suspect’s father Michael Walsh was treated at a local hospital and released. According to the most recent report, his mother Laura Walsh remains in serious condition at Beth Israel hospital.
Walsh’s father spoke to News 25 Boston as he was leaving the hospital, and said that while his son had struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse, he had never been violent before. The father also said he was shocked that his son would hurt Olivia.
“She’s, you know, a person he relies a lot on for support, I know she’s not a person he would ever want to hurt,” said Walsh.
The father said his son was “out of his mind” when he attacked his family and his girlfriend and said he believed Ben would regret what he had done.
“I know that when Ben realizes what he did last night he will be devastated,” Michael Walsh told the news station.
The suspect was also hospitalized for injuries to his hands, and was reportedly arraigned in the hospital on Monday. He has been charged with murder for the death of Olivia Bergstrom, and multiple counts in connection to the attack on his parents, including armed assault to murder.
[Feature image: Facebook/Olivia Bergstrom and Ben Walsh]
