Aaron Pennington and a stock photo of the kind of car he was last seen driving. (Massachusetts State Police)
Four young children and their mother were getting ready to pack up and leave Massachusetts for perhaps greener pastures — and certainly for higher temperatures — in Texas. Now, the mother of four is dead and the father of the children is the prime suspect in her brutal murder.
Aaron Pennington, 33, is now the subject of a statewide manhunt, according to the Massachusetts State Police. The suspect is wanted for killing Breanne Pennington, 30, who was found shot in the face at the couple’s home on Cherry Street in Gardner, a medium-sized city located in Worcester County in the central area of the Bay State.
The grim discovery was made Sunday morning. And the four Pennington children were inside the home when police arrived.
“He should be considered armed and dangerous,” the state police said in a Monday press release. “Any member of the public who sees Pennington or the vehicle is directed to not approach him but rather, to call 911 immediately.”
An application for a criminal complaint filed obtained by Boston-based ABC affiliate WCVB also accuses Aaron Pennington of unlawfully possessing a firearm without a license to carry. That document grimly recounts the children hearing their mother’s last-ever moments alive.
“Four children came over to her house scared because they could not find their father and their mother was in her bedroom crying,” the application reads. “The four children were known to reside with their parents at 42 Cherry Street in the city of Gardner. The children also stated that their father’s vehicle was no longer in the residence’s driveway.”
Responding officers found the victim in an upstairs bedroom of the residence. Three shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Gardner Police and local prosecutors then called in state troopers for assistance.
“We’re concerned,” Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said a press conference on Sunday. “Everyone should be on alert.”
“The children are safe,” the prosecutor added.
According to state police, the suspect is believed to be driving a white BMW 320, with a Massachusetts “Veteran” plate reading: 8A30. That license plate, however, may have been replaced with a Texas plate reading DTZ3103 or a California plate reading 6CWN728.
Police believe the couple had been going through marital discord for quite some time, according to the complaint application. Investigators say witnesses close to the family told them that Breanne Pennington had been planning to move to Texas with the children.
“She didn’t deserve it,” Chelsea Lowe, one of Breanne Pennington’s friends from high school, told WCVB. “She was such a good mother and such a good wife. She was saving up money and Aaron was obviously aware that she was gonna leave.”
That plan allegedly didn’t sit well with the suspect.
“Aaron Pennington suffered from mental health issues and had threatened suicide,” the court document reads.
Police say surveillance footage shows Aaron Pennington left the driveway in the 2013 BMW 320 sedan at 8:50 a.m.
The suspect is said to be 6’2″ and weighs roughly 175 pounds. He has blonde hair and blue eyes.
According to Boston-based Fox affiliate WFXT, the wanted man’s Facebook page identifies him as U.S. Air Force and as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
All four children are currently in state custody.
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