In the quiet community of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, a deeply tragic event unfolded on the night of November 29, 2015, ending the life of 48-year-old Gretchen Maureen Viglione. The night turned horrific when authorities were dispatched to a home on Diamond Street, where they discovered a scene of violence that had claimed three lives. Inside the residence, Gretchen Viglione and her 28-year-old son, Robert M. Peploe, were found deceased, both having suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation revealed a grim story of a murder-suicide perpetrated by Gretchen's fiancé, 48-year-old Paul Marshall. It was determined that Marshall shot and killed both Gretchen and her son before turning the semi-automatic rifle on himself. His death was ruled a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Miraculously, two other individuals, a 27-year-old woman and a four-year-old child, were also inside the home at the time of the incident but were physically unharmed.
Gretchen was a loving mother to her two children, Robert and a surviving daughter, Samantha M. Viglione. She was also a grandmother to a granddaughter. Remembered for her love of spending time with her children, camping, and gardening, Gretchen was a school bus driver for First Students, Inc. and enjoyed seeing the students each morning. A graduate of Amity Senior High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut, she had previously resided in Gap, Pennsylvania, and Woodbridge before moving to Hatfield. A joint memorial service was held for Gretchen and her son Robert on December 12, 2015, to honor the lives tragically cut short.
