Wife stabbed cheating husband in the heart

Christine Ricci couldn't forgive her firefighter husband for what he had done

- GAIL SHORTLAND

Tensions were running high at a house in Marshfield, Massachusetts. Christine Ricci and her husband Michael were trying to navigate the fallout from Michael’s infidelity, but in their attempt to make their marriage work, they were tearing their family apart.

Michael, 51, was an army veteran and had been a firefighter with the Boston Fire Department for 23 years. The couple had three children – two sons and a daughter.

In late 2018, Michael was unfaithful. He had a six-week affair with a woman called Janeen Bouchard, who believed Michael was separated from his wife when she embarked on the brief relationship.

Ricci found out about the affair after it was over. She sent a text to Janeen to tell her to stay away from her husband, but then followed it up demanding more details. She turned up twice at Janeen’s house to confront her, and the police were called.

Despite the betrayal, Ricci and Michael stayed together and tried to salvage their marriage. They attended therapy and even renewed their vows in 2019. Michael admitted he had a drinking problem and started attending meetings.

But by January 2021, the strain in the relationship was obvious to everyone. Ricci, then 46, was consumed by Michael’s affair and her jealousy was relentless. She constantly questioned her husband for details about his cheating, and when he didn’t give her the answers she wanted, she got aggressive. Michael was seen by colleagues with bruises and scratches. Once, he even had a broken nose.

It was clear that while Ricci had remained in the marriage, she hadn’t forgiven and she hadn’t forgotten. Even her children noticed she was becoming increasingly aggressive.

On the afternoon of 28 January 2021, a 911 call was made from the Ricci home. It was Ricci’s 16-year-old daughter reporting that her dad needed medical help after a fall.