On the evening of January 27, 1978, 49-year-old Yoshiko Brown of Topsfield, Massachusetts, was shot and killed inside her family home. The shooting also killed her husband, Wilfred Brown, and their 20-year-old daughter, Dorina. The family’s 15-year-old son, Alfred, used a .22 caliber rifle that had been a Christmas gift from his parents; investigators say an argument over a failing grade may have been the catalyst.

He fled in his father’s car but crashed it into a nearby snowbank; the vehicle was later found abandoned with the engine running. Alfred was located, brought to the police station, and confessed without showing emotion. He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

At trial in February 1979 Alfred entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, but a jury found him guilty on all three counts and he was sentenced to three concurrent life terms. If anyone knew Yoshiko or the Brown family, or has information about the night of January 27, 1978, please share what you remember.