In the quiet town of Wakefield, Massachusetts, the morning of March 28, 2011, was shattered by a tragic act of violence that ended the life of 69-year-old Elaine McCall. A female resident of Wakefield, she was a mother to three children, Susan, Doug, and Audra, and a cherished grandmother to nine grandchildren. She was also a sister to Evelyn and her twin, Diane.
Those who knew her described her as a sweet and kind woman with a big heart.
On that fateful Monday morning, at approximately 8:15 a.m., Elaine's husband of 46 years, David McCall, then 72, placed a 911 call to the Wakefield Police. He informed the dispatcher of a murder-suicide at their Lowell Street home, stating that he had shot his wife and intended to take his own life. He advised the responding officers to use the back door as a body was obstructing the front. When police arrived, they found Elaine on the kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to her chest. She was rushed to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. David McCall, who had a superficial, self-inflicted graze wound, was arrested at the scene.
The investigation revealed that the shooting occurred after a dispute between the couple. David McCall went upstairs, retrieved a handgun, and upon returning, fired two shots at his wife, striking her once. He initially pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other firearms charges. Neighbors expressed their shock and disbelief, describing the couple as elderly and quiet people who mostly kept to themselves.
In September 2012, David McCall changed his plea to guilty on charges of second-degree murder and three counts of improper storage of a firearm. Relatives of Elaine had the opportunity to read victim impact statements in court, expressing the profound loss and senselessness of her death. David McCall was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
