On the evening of November 19, 2018, the life of 23-year-old Lodimira Dos Santos, a female of Cape Verdean descent, was tragically cut short in her Boston home. What initially appeared to be a complex homicide investigation involving multiple victims was later revealed to be a devastating act of domestic violence that culminated in a murder-suicide.
The harrowing incident unfolded in an apartment building in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.
Authorities determined that Lodimira's former intimate partner, Jose M. DosSantos, 32, had gone to her residence armed with a knife and a 9mm handgun with the intent to cause her harm. The encounter quickly escalated into violence, forever altering the lives of those present.
Inside the apartment, another man, who was 33 years old at the time, was viciously stabbed by Jose DosSantos. Shortly after, Jose DosSantos fatally shot Lodimira Dos Santos before turning the gun on himself, ending his own life. The investigation by the Suffolk District Attorney's Office and the Boston Police Department concluded that Jose DosSantos was the aggressor in this tragic event. The medical examiner subsequently ruled Lodimira's death a homicide and Jose DosSantos's death a suicide. The man who was stabbed in the attack was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A mother of two, Lodimira Dos Santos was remembered by her family and community.
