Man accused of killing brother’s pregnant ex-girlfriend

LYNN, Mass. (Court TV) — A Massachusetts man is charged with murdering his brother’s pregnant ex-girlfriend while his brother was in custody for a separate crime.

Zachary Vozzella, 26, is charged with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the death of Brianna Welsh, 25, who was found stabbed to death inside her home in Lynn on July 31.

Welsh had recently ended a relationship with Vozzella’s brother, Brendon Vozzella, who shared her home. Brendon was arrested on July 30 after a reported domestic incident and appeared for an arraignment on July 31 on charges of assault and battery on a pregnant person.

In a news release , prosecutors said that Zachary went to the couple’s home while Brendon was in custody and attacked Welsh.

“I am so sorry for the devastating loss of Brianna Welsh,” said Lynn Mayor Jared C. Nicholson. “That she was an expectant mother makes this even more tragic, chilling, outrageous, and impossible to comprehend. I appreciate the work of first responders and law enforcement, and while many questions remain to be answered by the ongoing investigation, our city is left with profound grief.”

Defense attorney Francisco Napolitano, who represents Zachary, told WBZ that his client is “very, very sad about the whole, not only his own circumstances but that someone died and his brother’s in trouble. So everywhere he looks at is just sadness.”

In charging documents reviewed by Court TV, investigators said that Welsh’s apartment key fob was found with a bloody kitchen knife and bloody clothing at a different apartment in Lynn after a security camera caught Zachary arriving with a trash bag.

Zachary pleaded not guilty and is due back in court for a probable cause hearing on Sept. 10.

“The tragic violence that has taken the life of Brianna Welsh and her unborn child has created an unbearable loss for her family,” Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said in a statement. “While their loss cannot be repaired or remedied, I hope that our efforts to seek justice on her behalf assures them that we and the community support them.”