Murder trial of Marshfield woman accused of killing her husband to begin Wednesday

PLYMOUTH ‒ The murder trial of Christine Ricci, the Marshfield woman accused of stabbing her husband, Michael Ricci, to death in early 2021, is set to begin at Plymouth Superior Court on Wednesday morning.

Marshfield police went to the Ricci home on Jan. 28, 2021, after the couple’s 16-year-old child called 911. Firefighters treating Michael Ricci, 51, found that he had been stabbed in the heart and on the back of his left shoulder. He had also been slashed on his back, according to the Plymouth County district attorney’s office.

Michael Ricci, a 23-year Boston firefighter, was taken to South Shore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Christine Ricci, who was 46 at the time of her arrest, has said her husband had been suffering a manic episode for three days when he came in from shoveling snow. She said an argument ensued and that he became aggressive, grabbed her throat and threw her to the floor.

According to the prosecutor at the time of her arraignment, Christine Ricci said she grabbed a knife to scare him away. He then lunged at her, and that’s when she plunged the knife into his chest, she said.

Both Michael and Christine Ricci had mental health issues, but no records exist to support the claims of manic behavior on Michael Ricci’s part, prosecutors said.

At Ricci's May 2021 arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham said an affair by Michael Ricci led to marital issues for which the couple sought therapy.

Christine Ricci had been aggressive in the past, Buckingham said, leaving her husband with bruises and a fat lip.

The trial will begin with jury selection, according to the court docket.

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Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

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