Murder-Suicide Victim Could 'Accept,' 'Befriend' Everyone

As the community waits for the official autopsy results for a husband and wife as part of an , friends and loved ones are remembering the impact the individuals had on those around them.

Susie Anderson recently reached out to Hampton-North Hampton Patch to talk about the connection she had with — a 37-year-old Haverhill, Mass., native believed to have been killed by his wife , 38, of Hampton, in Haverhill on Jan. 11 — while Broderick was attending graduate school at the University of California Santa Barbara.

Anderson, a former staff graduate assistant at the school, said she was "shocked" by the difficult news about the death of her "good friend," and described Broderick as an ambitious individual with an infectious personality.

"[Broderick] had a rare skill to accept and befriend everyone," said Anderson. "He was one of the 'leaders' of his graduate class, and revitalized a quiet geological sciences department by bringing together his graduate class so that the whole department became a great, cohesive, supportive place to study and work. What an impact.

"He had a great sense of fun, and was very creative. I remember a Halloween party where he came dressed as a Q-Tip... He was a rare person whose outgoing and friendly nature made everyone he met feel special."

Anderson said she also knew McDermott, although admittedly not "well." Anderson did say, though, that while she only interacted with McDermott "a few times," Anderson said she remembers McDermott "as always smiling and friendly."

Visitation hours and various have already been held for Broderick and McDermott. Both individuals' families have declined comment about the suspected murder-suicide, which officials expect to be confirmed by the autopsy results.

Steve O’Connell, a spokesman for the Essex County, Mass., District Attorney's Office, said Friday there is no timetable for the "still pending" results, which he had said he hoped would be in by the beginning or middle of this week.

O'Connell said, "No," when asked Friday if there was any particular reason for the delay in the results, and didn't go into additional detail about the autopsies or the case.

Police have told Patch that McDermott allegedly shot her husband in the head while sitting in Broderick's rental car in a Haverhill park on Jan. 11. O'Connell has declined to confirm McDermott as the shooter, stating that determination will be made when the autopsy results are released.

It was still unclear Friday why McDermott and Broderick met at the Haverhill park in Jan. 11, and it was still unclear what may have caused the murder-suicide. Police have said the couple's infant son wasn't in danger during the time of the incident, although there was a child's car seat in one of the two vehicles at the crime scene.