Court: Teen sees Burlington stabbing via video chat

WOBURN, Mass. (WHDH) -- A man accused of killing his estranged girlfriend in their Burlington home was held without bail on Monday.

Christopher Piantedosi, 39, is accused of stabbing Kristen Pulisciano 34 times on their daughter’s bed last Thursday. Prosecutors said Pulisciano died of a stab wound to the neck with a butcher knife.

"She was covered in blood, a knife protruding from her neck," said prosecutor Nicole Allain.

Prosecutors said the murder was witnessed by the daughter and her male friend, who was watching over an iPad video chat. Prosecutors said the daughter was video chatting with a friend when she heard her parents fighting. They said she left her iPad on her bed when she went to help her mom.

“He then heard the defendant say, ‘You’ve gotta die, you’ve gotta die,’” said prosecutor Nicole Allain. “He then heard the victim say, ‘Chris, please stop I love you.’”

The state claims Piantedosi stabbed Pulisciano repeatedly as their 15-year-old daughter screamed “No, no.”

Prosecutors said Pulisciano went into her daughter’s bedroom to get away from Piantedosi, trying to block the door with her body.

“The defendant had kicked in the door, threw the victim on the bed and began stabbing her with a butcher knife,” said Allain. “That was visible to the daughter’s friend through the video conferencing application.”

Police say Piantedosi drove away, eventually ditching his bloody clothes and his cell phone in a dumpster in Leominster. He was caught a day later.

While Piantedosi listened to details in court he closed his eyes, shook his head and winced at times. He bowed his head in sorrow when he was told he is not allowed to see his daughter or his 20-year-old stepson.

“That was his daughter and that was his stepson -- he raised him as his son. He calls him dad,” said Pasquale Piantedosi, the defendant’s uncle.

A psychiatric expert told the judge at Piantedosi’s arraignment that the suspect is bipolar and the murder came the day after he was discharged from a hospital following a suicide attempt.

The expert said Piantedosi is fit to stand trial. He will appear in court on June 7 for a probable cause hearing.