In the late hours of August 31, 2016, the life of 48-year-old Lara Muscolino, a mother of three from Fallston, Maryland, was tragically cut short in her own home. Responders, arriving at the Windswept Court residence shortly after 11:30 p.m., found Lara in her bed with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body. She was rushed to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, but succumbed to her injuries the following morning.
At the time of the shooting, her three daughters were also in the house, but were physically unharmed.
The suspect in the fatal shooting was her 54-year-old husband, Ricardo Muscolino. Shortly after the incident, he turned himself in to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The motive for the crime appeared to be jealousy, as it was alleged that Ricardo had discovered his wife was having an extramarital affair just hours before the shooting. Prosecutors later stated that he had confronted her about social media messages exchanged with another man.
A crucial piece of evidence in the case came from an unlikely source: a 'Nest Drop Cam' that had been installed in the family's living room. The couple's 15-year-old daughter remembered the camera and was able to access the footage, which had been saved online. The video captured Ricardo entering the house on the night of the murder, heading upstairs, and the sound of five gunshots before he is seen leaving. This recording became a key element for the prosecution. Investigators also found a 9mm Glock, five casings, and unused ammunition in a laundry basket in the bedroom.
Ricardo Muscolino was charged with first-degree murder and the use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime. In November 2017, he was convicted of second-degree murder and the firearm charge. He was sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison: 30 years for the murder and a consecutive 20-year sentence for the handgun charge. During the trial, the medical examiner testified that Lara was in a defensive posture when she was shot. Ricardo Muscolino is currently serving his sentence at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Maryland.
