Murder warrant issued for Aaron Pennington in death of wife as search continues in Gardner
ASHBURNHAM - The Worcester County District Attorney has issued a murder warrant for Aaron Pennington, the man suspected of killing his wife in their Gardner home who is still on the run.
Pennington, 33, hasn't been seen for four days since his 30-year-old wife Breanne Pennington was found shot to death at their house on Cherry Street Sunday morning.
Investigators said they're working on the assumption that Pennington is still alive and that he's armed and dangerous.
On Monday, a bow hunter found Aaron Pennington's BMW abandoned Monday, about three miles from the family's home. State Police have searched the 175 acres of woods at Camp Collier, a Boy Scout camp in Gardner, and a few miles away in Ashburnham, where a man found a change of clothes in the woods behind his home.
"It was a Ziploc bag with some rubber gloves, surgical gloves or something in it," said the man, who declined to give his name. "I thought it was a trash bag. It was a white shirt, a pair of shorts, there was socks, a pair of boxers, there was a toothbrush."
The search concluded Wednesday with no sign of Pennington.
"There is enough trails through where they found his car up in the back," said the man who found the clothing. "There's nothing but trails. And this will run all the way up into New Hampshire. There's trails everywhere through here."
Pennington is a military veteran. The United States Air Force told WBZ-TV he served on active duty from 2015-2022 and left the service last February with the rank of Senior Airman. He was a "special mission aircraft maintenance journeyman."
According to court documents released Monday, the couple had marriage problems and Breanne Pennington was planning to move to Texas with their four children. Aaron Pennington allegedly has a history of mental health issues and had attempted suicide.
On Sunday morning, the children went to a neighbor's house looking for help because they couldn't find their father and said their mother was crying in her bedroom, the documents stated. When officers went to the Pennington's home, the police report said they found Breanne Pennington lying in bed in an upstairs bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head. A gun was not found in the home but police said they found three spent shell casings in the bedroom.
The children are now being taken care of by the Department of Children and Families. Neighbors said they're on edge.
"We had to lock our doors for the first time," said one woman. "And my husband took the dog out with his gun."
According to court documents, a search warrant was issued to search Aaron Pennington's cellphone and police found a note on it from Saturday that said, "Don't say anything. Be quite [sic] If she wakes up just say you're getting nasal spray. Get on side of bed - very close proximity on bed. Put hole in her head."
Aaron Pennington has been described by police as white, six-feet, two-inches tall. He weighs approximately 175 pounds and has blonde hair and blue eyes. If you see him, call 911 immediately and do not approach him, police said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, there are numerous resources available in Massachusetts:
- SafeLink at 877-785-2020 (dial 711 if you are deaf or hard of hearing)
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 for TTY
- Chat online with the National Domestic Violence Hotline by clicking here
- YWCA Domestic Violence Hotline at 844-372-9922
- Find a list of domestic violence services by county by clicking here
