Boyfriend in police custody after allegedly murdering Brockton mother in ‘savage, brutal incident’

Police have arrested a man for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, a Brockton mother, on Wednesday, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office tweeted Wednesday night.

The DA’s Office said 56 year-old Joao Correia is in police custody at a hospital, where he is currently in critical condition.

WCVB reported that first-responders rushed to a home at 342 Crescent St. in Brockton after receiving a report that a person was unconscious in the driveway.

The news station reported that 48-year-old Veronica Goncalves was pronounced dead after suffering trauma to her head and face.

“This is a savage, brutal incident,” Plymouth County DA Timothy Cruz told reporters Wednesday. “This woman did not deserve this.”

The Brockton Enterprise reported that the DA said Correia and Goncalves were in a long-term relationship, but that there were no previous reports of domestic violence between the two of them.

WCVB reported that Goncalves was a mother of two and a grandmother, and that her 2-year-old granddaughter was in a nearby car at the time of the killing.

Goncalves’ nephew, Pedro Rosario, told reporters Wednesday that Goncalves was a strong, independent, and kind-hearted woman.

“We’re all in a state of shock. That someone would do this to her is beyond belief,” Rosario said. “We’re just trying to put the pieces together.”

The DA said the investigation into Goncalves’s death is ongoing.