SHREWSBURY – At 6:14 p.m. on Thursday night, Diana Ross’s 1973 hit “Touch Me in the Morning” echoed throughout Shrewsbury Common.
But Eileen Ferro wasn’t there to hear it. The record – her favorite song – was on the turntable, ready to be played, when she was stabbed to death in her Ladyslipper Drive home on Feb. 22, 1974. Ferro was only 21 years old at the time of her murder.
Ferro’s life was taken, but her memory has never been forgotten. On Thursday – 50 years to the hour of Ferro’s untimely death – community members gathered to honor her legacy, reciting poems, performing music, and remembering her friendly personality. The event was organized by Worcester-area lawyer Edward P. Reardon, Jr., who received the family’s permission to hold the ceremony.
“I think this was a terrible scar and terrible wound on the town of Shrewsbury… It’s been a terrible, terrible experience for the family. An ongoing nightmare. In many ways, I think, the murder was just the beginning of it. I just thought somebody should do something… I didn’t know what to do, I thought someday I’d do something, and I thought today was the appropriate time,” he told the Community Advocate prior to the event.
Born Eileen Daniel, Ferro grew up on the west side of Worcester, graduating from Worcester’s South High Community School. When she returned home from work on the evening of Feb. 22, 1974, she was stabbed to death. Ferro was found dead in an unused room by her husband, Anthony, 27, when he returned home from work at 9:15 p.m.
Anthony “Tony” Ferro, who now lives in Australia, sent a comment for Reardon to read at the ceremony.
“Eileen touched people in a positive way in such a short time. [It’s great] to know that even after 50 years, Eileen’s memory is still fresh in our hearts and will never be forgotten. How could anyone forget her beautiful smile that lit up any room she entered, the… friendly personality she showed to everyone she met, and the love she showed to her family and friends? I remember like it was yesterday how much people loved her,” the statement read.
Ferro had defensive wounds when she was found, meaning she fought her attacker. Although her case was first connected with Pamela Hurlburt’s murder – which happened within a 12-hour span of Ferro’s death in Worcester – police said there was no apparent link, and Ferro’s case remained unresolved for decades. The murder weapon was never recovered and there was no sign of forced entry.
But in 2014, a penny-sized drop of blood left at the scene led to charges against Lonzo Guthrie of Austell, Ga., who had lived in Worcester at the time of the murder. Guthrie had reportedly moved furniture into Ferro’s house prior to the killing. After being arrested and extradited to Massachusetts, Guthrie stood trial at Worcester Superior Court in 2016 and was later acquitted.
The Feb. 22 ceremony included songs – played by Lynne “VioLynne” Canavan and Christopher Weigel – to honor Ferro’s life. Rev. Holly MillerShank of First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury read several poems, and Reardon also delivered remarks. A wreath, made of pink and white flowers with Ferro’s name inscribed in the middle, was set up on Shrewsbury Common prior to the ceremony.
