Two men accused of separate murders two days apart in July are each facing alternate charges as prosecutors mount cases against them.
Emerson Figueiredo, 42, was recently indicted by a Merrimack County grand jury on alternative counts of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Nathalia Da Paixao, 35. Figueiredo is being held without bail for killing his wife, who died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
One charge alleges Figueiredo knowingly caused Da Paixao’s death, while the other alleges he did so recklessly by showing “an extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
Police responded to the stabbing at Edgewood Heights Condo Associates on Branch Turnpike on July 28. The couple had two children together.
In a separate incident, Joseph Hanright, 29, of Methuen, Mass., also faces alternative counts of second-degree murder in the death of Marshall John Villeneuve, 64, of Concord, according to Merrimack County indictments.
One charge alleges that Hanright knowingly caused Villeneuve’s death on July 26 and the other alleges that he did so recklessly.
Police disseminated surveillance footage of Hanright following Villeneuve’s death as officers searched for him. At the time, police said Hanright was driving a blue 2012 Mazda 3 sedan which was seen at the murder scene at the Crutchfield Building on Pitman Street. The vehicle belonged to Villeneuve and, as a result, Hainright is facing car theft charges as well.
The two murders occurred in a short time span over the summer as several other deaths were also under investigation by city police.