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Preteen son slain in Massachusetts murder-suicide heard screaming in 911 call

Andrew Robinson died of self-inflicted gunshot after fatally shooting his wife and 12-year-old son in their family's Andover, Massachusetts mansion, investigators said.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

An unknown "male screaming" in the background of a 911 domestic violence call from inside a Massachusetts home was 12-year-old Sebastian Robinson, a promising student and musician.

Sebastian and his mom, Linda, were fatally shot by his dad, Andrew, who then turned the gun on himself in a jarring double murder-suicide in their $2 million Andover mansion before the sun rose on Feb. 9.

"The voices on the call were difficult to understand, but loud smashing sounds can be heard, and officers were dispatched to the home at 3:10 a.m. Investigators now believe the sounds were gunshots," said Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker, who released preliminary investigation findings on Wednesday.

Police arrived at 3:18 a.m. and received no answer at the front door, Tucker said, so they went to the back of the home and saw through a sliding-glass door "a woman with apparent injuries, lying on the floor. They decided to make a forced entry at that time."

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All three family members were then found dead, Tucker said – Andrew in the family room with a gun, Sebastian in the kitchen and Linda in a hallway off the kitchen.

There weren't any prior police responses to the home, according to Tucker, and Andrew was being treated for depression, not sleeping, and suffering from mental and physical health issues.

Investigators believe Andrew made the original 911 call at 3:09 a.m. on Feb. 9, Tucker said. 

The recording of the call had not been released as of Thursday morning, but Fox News Digital reviewed the emergency dispatch recordings, which painted a chaotic picture of police trying to get into the house and seeing bodies on the floor. 

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Dispatchers warned responding officers that "one of the statements was, ‘Kill me now,’ so be careful."

A 9mm Sig Sauer handgun, spent casings and live rounds were recovered in the kitchen and family room, according to Tucker. Andrew had a license to carry that expired over a year earlier, on Feb. 1, 2022.

Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe said they'll likely never know the full scope of "why this horrendous incident occurred."

"However, some of the ‘why’ has been answered, and we hope it provides some closure for the extended family and everyone else affected," he said. 

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Sebastian's school – St. John's Prep, a $31,000-a-year Catholic all-boys' school for grades 6 through 12 in Danvers, Massachusetts – closed the day of the incident, and Head of School Dr. Ed Hardiman told Fox News Digital in an email that their "close-knit" community is "heartbroken."

They held a prayer vigil for Sebastian, who he said "was well known in our middle school for his creativity, his passion for learning and his presence as a kind and gentle soul."

"In the classroom, he was eager to ask why and how, and for more depth about the subject matter," Hardiman said. "He was also an enthusiastic participant in our co-curricular programming, especially our string orchestra and service projects.

"Understandably, this news comes as a profound and devastating shock to the St. John’s Prep community. As a school with a values-rich and faith-based mission, in times of trouble and grief we turn to our faith and to prayer as we seek to console and support each other and all those impacted by this tragic situation."

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Mental health and murder have recently intersected in Massachusetts, as family, friends and the Duxbury community, which is about an hour south of Andover, are still reeling after Lindsay Clancy allegedly strangled her three young children to death and then attempted suicide. 

Her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, said that she was overly medicated for anxiety that turned her into a "zombie" and likely suffered from postpartum depression that wasn't diagnosed.

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"While we can never know everything going on inside someone’s home or mind, we’re absolutely clear domestic violence can’t be tolerated for any reason, and that there’s a mental health crisis in our country," Tucker said in a statement about the Andover double murder-suicide. 

"Our office works daily to address each problem, and I urge those in need, and those who care about them, to reach out to us, the state government and outside groups for support. No one should feel alone as they cope with these problems."

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