Suspect’s Family Says He Suffered From Mental Illness

The suspect involved in a rampage in Taunton Tuesday night was suffering from mental illness, according to family members.

Kerri Devries, the sister of 28-year-old Arthur DaRosa, told the Boston Herald that DaRosa was admitted to a hospital psychiatric ward on Monday.

She says her brother has been battling depression for years and has recently been suicidal, and had been making claims that the "devil was playing tricks on him."

DaRosa's father, also named Arthur DaRosa, said he was surprised that his son had been released from the hospital and had returned Tuesday morning.

However, he said that his son seemed to be "normal" and calm."

DaRosa is accused of killing two people, one an 80-year-old woman who was stabbed in her home at 270 Myricks Street in Taunton, her daughter was injured in the attack and sustained life threatening injuries.

DaRosa then drove over to the Silver City Galleria Mall, where he crashed into the Macy’s department store front door.

He then exited his vehicle and attacked several people in the store before he went to Bertucci’s Italian restaurant where he grabbed a knife and stabbed several people including the other murder victim, 56-Year-old George Heath, who taught visual design at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School.

DaRosa was then shot and killed by a Plymouth County Sheriff's Deputy, who was off-duty at the time.