Man Charged with Murder in Connection with September Death of Tewksbury Woman
TEWKSBURY— Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Tewksbury Chief of Police Timothy Sheehan have confirmed that Eric Griffin, 40, of Tewksbury, has been indicted on the charges of first degree murder, strangulation and domestic assault and battery in connection with the September murder of his girlfriend Jennifer Kalicki, 39 of Tewksbury. Griffin was also indicted on an additional count of domestic assault and battery and intimidation of a witness in connection with a previous assault on Ms. Kalicki in March.
On September 15, 2019, at approximately 8:30 a.m. Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office were contacted by Tewksbury Police regarding a suspicious death that occurred in an apartment complex on Archstone Avenue in Tewksbury. Upon arrival authorities observed Ms. Kalicki, who resided with the defendant, unresponsive in bed. She had sustained significant injuries consistent with a physical assault and was pronounced dead at the scene. Ms. Kalicki’s boyfriend, Eric Griffin, was placed under arrest later that day and charged with assault and battery on a household or family member. The case was referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner who subsequently ruled that the cause of Ms. Kalicki’s death was blunt force trauma. The examination found that Ms. Kalicki had sustained injuries to her body and neck as well as blunt force trauma to the head that resulted in a fatal brain bleed.
Over the course of the months long Grand Jury investigation into the death of Ms. Kalicki, investigators were able to gather additional information regarding a March 16 incident where the defendant had allegedly physically attacked Ms. Kalicki and was subsequently charged with one count of domestic assault and battery. That case was ultimately dismissed, prior to the September 11 trial date, after the victim, Ms. Kalicki, asserted her Fifth Amendment privilege. Over the course of the subsequent investigation into this matter additional evidence was gathered that reflected an escalation in violence by the defendant against Ms. Kalicki and further revealed that the defendant allegedly convinced the victim to assert her privilege prior to the trial for the March assault.
Following his arraignment in Lowell District Court on September 16, Griffin was found to be dangerous after a 58A hearing on September 20 and is currently being held without bail. He will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court on January 7, 2020 at 9:30 a.m.
The prosecutors assigned to this case are Assistant District Attorneys Suzanne Wiseman and Emily Jackson. The Victim Witness Advocate is Dora Quiroz. This investigation is being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Tewksbury Police Department and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.