WOBURN, Mass. – A man was convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday for killing his wife and 11-year-old stepson out of anger over the time she spent with members of her church.
The jury found Jeremias Bins guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the 2006 slayings. Superior Court Judge John Lu sentenced Bins to two consecutive life terms in prison.
Prosecutors said a bloodied Bins took a cab to the Framingham police station in May 2006, walked in and said he had just bludgeoned his wife and stepson with a hammer. He handed the couple's 5-month-old son, Phillipe, to officers and said, "I'm sorry."
Carla Souza, 37, and her elder son Caique (KYE'-ee-kay) had been found an hour earlier by police who responded to her 911 call.
Souza was an active member of the Framingham ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. About two hours before the killings, Bins called ward members and told them he did not want "you missionaries" at his home any more.
Some church members told police they knew Bins did not support his wife's involvement but they were stunned by the killings. The couple had met through the church when Bins, a native of Brazil, started taking English classes there. Souza, also from Brazil, helped teach the classes.
Bins occasionally attended church services with his wife but he did not become a member.
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