BRAINTREE – The town was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic during 2020, with more than 2,000 residents infected and over 100 deaths. The pandemic closed everything from schools to South Shore Plaza, canceled events from summer recreation programs to the annual Braintree Day celebration, and generally upended lives throughout the community.
But amid the pandemic, there was one death that shocked the community: Laurie Melchionda s.
The health board member and longtime school nurse was shot to death by a man posing as a delivery driver at her Howie Road home June 17. A former neighbor, Robert Bonang, was arrested within minutes and charged with murder.