Firefighter accused of killing girlfriend
Allegedly admits to stabbing her to arresting officers
A Chicopee firefighter was ordered held without bail Tuesday on a first-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, who worked as the executive assistant to the Hampden County sheriff.
Jason C. Chapdelaine, 52, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Holyoke District Court to killing Eileen B. Monaghan, 48, of Chicopee, and was ordered held at the Franklin County Jail & House of Correction, court records show. He is due back in court May 13.
Chicopee spokesperson Chloe Soto confirmed that Chapdelaine is a firefighter in the city and said he has been placed on unpaid leave.
Around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, police in Holyoke received a 911 call from a security guard for the Hazen Paper Co. who told a dispatcher they had seen a “blue pickup truck parked in back there with some guy, and it looks like he has some beat-up woman with him in there,” according to an incident report filed in the case.
When police arrived at the paper mill, they saw Chapdelaine with a belt tied around his neck and a grab-handle on the driver’s side of his Toyota Tacoma, according to the report. The officers concluded that Chapdelaine had tried to hang himself.
Chapdelaine’s shirt and jacket were covered in blood and Monaghan was lying motionless beneath him, the report said.
Police provided first aid to Monaghan, finding “multiple wounds consistent with injuries inflicted by a sharp-edged instrument,” while other officers removed the belt from the truck, according to the report. Chapdelaine regained consciousness, while emergency medical personnel determined that Monaghan was dead.
Chapdelaine allegedly had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, the report stated.
An autopsy determined that Monaghan’s death was a homicide caused by “sharp instrument wounds and blunt force trauma,” including some 40 wounds to her head, torso, and arms, the report said.
The security guard who called 911 told police that a supervisor told them to check out the suspicious blue truck, according to the report. When they walked toward it with a flashlight, they saw a brutally beaten woman inside and “a guy standing next to her,” the report said.
Chapdelaine allegedly said something to the effect of, “I didn’t really mean to do it,” the guard told police.
When investigators tried to interrogate Chapdelaine, he allegedly said, “I don’t really feel I ... I need to ... I murdered a woman,” according to the report.
Chapdelaine’s court-appointed attorney, Nicholas J. Horgan, to comment on the case. Judge William P. Hadley granted a request from Horgan to allocate up to $5,000 to hire an investigator for the defense.
Monaghan, the daughter of Irish immigrants, had two adult daughters and had served as the chief of staff to former state representative Joseph Wagner before he retired last year. She was the executive assistant to Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, and both her late father and late brother had also worked in the office.
“Eileen was not only a loved and valued colleague but also a dedicated and generous person who meant so much to so many, especially her kids,” Cocchi said in a statement. “Eileen was truly a rose in a world of thorns.”
Representative Richard Neal said in a statement that his “heart goes out” to the Monaghan family, whom he has known for many years. He was “deeply saddened” by Monaghan’s death.
“Eileen was a truly kind and intelligent person who dedicated her life to public service,” Neal said in the statement. “She committed herself to making her community a better place, and the lives that she touched are grieving this profound loss, one that was far too soon.”