Roxbury churches to host Sunday services for family killed in murder-suicide

Kyle Morel, New Jersey Herald
·1 min read
Mourners created a makeshift memorial at the Roxbury home where police say a father killed his wife and 15 year-old son before taking his own life. The scene on Friday, March 10, three days after their deaths.
Mourners created a makeshift memorial at the Roxbury home where police say a father killed his wife and 15 year-old son before taking his own life. The scene on Friday, March 10, three days after their deaths.

The Roxbury community is holding two remembrance ceremonies this weekend for the family killed in a murder-suicide earlier this week.

The St. Therese Church will host a prayer service for Kellie Ventricelli, 58, and her son Anthony, 15, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the church announced on its website. The church is located at 151 Main Street in Roxbury's Succasunna section, where the family lived.

Hillside Lutheran Brethren Church, where Kellie Ventricelli worked as a teacher's assistant at the adjoining preschool, will hold a prayer service at 7 pm. Sunday "in light of the recent tragic event in our community," according to the church website.

More: Roxbury grieves for family lost in murder-suicide: 'We are leaning on our faith'

The church, at 113 South Hillside Avenue in Succasunna, held an initial vigil Thursday night during its weekly "Time to Pray" session. The meeting focused on providing "peace and comfort for the Hillside Preschool community, as they grieve the tragic loss of a beloved member of the Preschool family."

Authorities believe Peter Ventricelli, 57, fatally shot his wife and son in their home on Justine Place early Tuesday morning before turning the gun on himself. Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll called the case a "tragic murder-suicide brought on by domestic violence," but said the deaths remain under investigation.

Kyle Morel is a local reporter covering Morris and Sussex counties.

Email: kmorel@njherald.com; Twitter: @KMorelNJH

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Roxbury NJ murder suicide: Churches schedule remembrance services