Rockport man pleads guilty to slaying mother, grandparents, healthcare worker
LOWELL, MASS./ROCKPORT – A Rockport, Maine, man pleaded guilty Sept. 1 at a Massachusetts court hearing to the murders of four people in Groton, Mass., in 2017.
Orion Krause, 26, pleaded guilty Sept. 1 in Lowell Superior Court to four charges of second-degree murder in connection with the murder of his grandparents, Elizabeth Lackey, 85, and Frank Lackey, 89; his mother Elizabeth Krause, 60, of Rockport, Maine; and Bertha Mae Parker, 68, of Tewksbury, a home health care worker who was caring for his grandparents at their Common Street, Groton, Mass., residence.
Judge Kenneth W. Salinger sentenced Krause to life in prison with parole eligibility at 25 years.
“The resolution of this case today in no way can erase the incalculable loss felt by the family and friends of these victims,” said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan in a news release Sept. 1. “Following the 2017 murder, the entire Groton community mourned the loss of Elizabeth and Frank Lackey, Elizabeth Krause and Bertha Mae Parker. We continue to have them in our thoughts today as this case comes to a close.”
“While this conviction doesn’t change the horrific events that occurred on September 8, 2017, we hope that this verdict today provides the family some peace,” said Groton Chief of Police Michael Luth.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, on Sept. 8, 2017, at approximately 5:52 p.m., Groton Police responded to a report of a person in need of assistance on Common Street. Upon arrival, investigators gathered information which led them to a second residence also on Common Street where they located the four victims.
In 2017, the D.A.’s office characterized the murders as “a tragic incident of family violence.”
The subsequent investigation revealed that Krause had traveled from Rockport, Maine, to the Boston area on Thursday, Sept. 7.
On Friday, Sept. 8, his mother met him and they traveled together to visit his grandparents at their Common Street home in Groton. At some point following his arrival at the home the defendant fatally attacked his family members and his grandparent’s health aid using a baseball bat, confirmed the District Attorney’s Office.
Orion Krause then fled the home and was located by police at a neighbor’s home nearby where he was arrested.
Krause was a 2013 graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport. He studied jazz at Oberlin Conservatory, and attended Cityterm at the Masters School. In April, he performed his senior degree recital playing his own compositions on jazz drums. He also skied with the Nordic ski team and made the honor roll while at Camden Hills.
The prosecutors assigned to this case were Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Brant and Daniel Harren. The Victim Witness Advocate was Renee Leone.
https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/orion-krause-determined-competent-stand-trial/93579
https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/orion-krause-arraigned-murder-charges/100048
Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com
