On a tragic day in Wolcott, Connecticut, the life of Michelle Renee Larrivee Cote, a 55-year-old White/Caucasian female, was cut short in a devastating act of domestic violence. The events of March 27, 2025, unfolded at a home on Bound Line Road, a place that was once a family residence. On that day, relatives and a friend had gathered to help her estranged husband, 59-year-old David Cote Sr., move out of the house.
What began as a seemingly mundane task of packing and moving escalated into a violent confrontation that would leave three people dead.
Behind the closed door of a bedroom, a dispute erupted. The argument took a fatal turn when David Cote Sr. produced a firearm and shot both his estranged wife, Michelle, and their 34-year-old son, David Cote Jr. The sudden gunfire shocked other family members and helpers who were present in the home, listening in horror from the other side of the door. In the immediate and chaotic aftermath, a friend of the son, who was legally permitted to carry a firearm, intervened. Using the elder Cote's own weapon, the friend fired on David Cote Sr., ending the deadly assault. When first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered the bodies of Michelle, her son, and her estranged husband in the bedroom, all with fatal gunshot wounds.
In the wake of the tragedy, investigators pieced together the sequence of events, characterizing the incident as a domestic shooting initiated by David Cote Sr. Because the gunman was killed at the scene and the friend who shot him was deemed to have acted during the ongoing violence, authorities announced that they did not anticipate filing any criminal charges. The case was expected to be closed without any arrests, leaving a family and a community to grapple with the profound loss. Michelle, a Colchester resident formerly of Wolcott and Waterbury, was remembered for her deep faith, her devotion to her family, and her kind and generous spirit. She had worked for many years as a dedicated records specialist for the Connecticut Department of Correction at the Cheshire Correctional Institution, and her passing was mourned by her loved ones and colleagues.
