Easton, MA: Teen arraigned in mother’s death Woman’s body found in shallow grave behind her Easton house

EASTON — A 17-year-old boy is believed to have killed his mother and buried her in the backyard after becoming bitter over his parents’ divorce, authorities said yesterday.

“I think that my son may have done something to my ex-wife,’’ said Michael Worster, the father of Matthew Worster, during a 911 call to Easton Police late Wednesday afternoon. “I heard that he shot her.’’

When asked where he thought his former wife was, he said, “in a freshly dug hole in the garden,’’ according to a police report.

Police unearthed the body of Beth Spartichino, 42, at 3 a.m. yesterday from a 9-by-3-foot grave behind her house at 7 Union St. She had been shot in the back, and the grave had been dug in advance, authorities said.

As news of the crime quickly traveled along the street, where the victim’s extended family owns three side-by-side homes on about 38 acres, police said that she had obtained an emergency restraining order against Michael Worster almost exactly a year ago. In that order, she claimed that he had threatened to kill her and bury her in the yard and that he was coaching their three sons to treat her with contempt.

The couple began divorce proceedings last summer, after 17 years of marriage, and the divorce was granted two weeks ago. Authorities also said they had responded to the address several times for domestic situations.

Michael Worster moved into 15 Union St., a house next to his ex-wife, after their separation. He has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

But Matthew, the oldest of the sons, was arraigned yesterday in Taunton District Court on a charge of armed assault with intent to murder.

Matthew’s address, as listed on the police report, was the same as his mother’s, house, but his two younger siblings were listed under their father’s address.

Matthew Worster was expressionless as he listened to Bill McCauley, Bristol assistant district attorney, give an outline of the events surrounding Spartichino’s death.

“He told his mother that all would be better off if she were dead,’’ McCauley said during the arraignment.

An autopsy will be performed today and depending on the results, the charges against Worster may be upgraded to murder.

He is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing June 10.

Worster’s attorney, Joe Krowski Jr., entered a plea of not guilty on his client’s behalf, saying the case is based on a footprint found next to the grave.

“Absent the shoe print comparison,’’ he said, “we have a case with no eyewitnesses, a case with no forensic evidence, a case with no murder weapon.’’ he said.

Authorities found two rectangular-shaped holes near the garden.

One had a large rock in the center and the other, where Spartichino was later found, had freshly-overturned gravel, with broken tree branches stuck in the gravel. A shovel and several 5-gallon buckets were found nearby.

Investigators also noticed a footprint, which matched a shoe worn by Matthew Worster, the police report said.


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On Wednesday morning, according to McCauley, Spartichino went to a gym, and planned to meet Matthew after her workout. Later in the day, she planned to cook dinner for her sons at her house.

But she was last seen alive leaving the gym, McCauley said.

Michael Worster told authorities he received a call from his ex-wife’s phone at 10:43 a.m. Wednesday but allowed the call to go to voicemail. He then received a text message from Matthew in the afternoon that led him to believe Matthew was distraught.

At 5:31 p.m., Michael Worster listened to the voicemail. In the message, Matthew stated, “I did what I had to do but know that I will be alright (sic),’’ according to the police report.

Matthew was arrested Wednesday evening outside his mother’s house. Authorities said he allegedly made several statements to relatives and friends that implicated him.

He is believed to have told his 13-year-old brother that “I shot her. . . . It’s over.’’

And in a flurry of emotion at his girlfriend’s house, Matthew, in tears at her kitchen table, purportedly told his girlfriend and her mother, “I needed to do what I needed to do. . . . I needed to save my brothers.’’

The girlfriend told authorities that Matthew then called his father, and Michael Worster encouraged him to turn himself in. But Matthew responded that he needed one night.

Near Union Street, a friend of Matthew Worster’s since childhood described him as a loner who often spent hours in solitude at a tree house he built in a wooded section of the family’s property.

The friend, who requested that his name not be used, said Matthew recently participated in a “wayward kids program,’’ that seemed ineffective.

“They put him and the others out in the woods by themselves to resolve their problems, but it was like a field trip for Matt,’’ the friend said.

That friend sat with about a dozen relatives of the defendant during the arraignment. The family declined comment as they walked out of the courtroom, except for a tall elderly man with thick gray hair and glasses. Shaking his head, he said: “Were devastated.’’

Andrew Reservitz, the lawyer who represented Worster in the divorce, said yesterday in a telephone interview: “My client is beside himself. I spoke with him earlier and what happened is shocking to him and the entire family. He’s trying to deal with this tragedy.’’

Alyssa Asack, who represented Spartichino in the divorce, offered a brief statement: “Beth was a wonderful human being and a loving mother.’’

Brian R. Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com