Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘A Concrete Motive’ profiles the shocking murder case of a successful Wakefield-based businessman named Michael Zammitti Jr. His picture-perfect life soon got turned upside down when a vengeful conspiracy was born against him, while Chester Roberts also got murdered for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Apart from the intricate details of the case, including the events that led to the murder and the investigation that followed, the episode also consists of interviews with the loved ones of Michael and Chester and the officials that were involved in the case.
Michael Zammitti Jr. and Chester Roberts Were Killed At Work
Born on January 18, 1967, Michael Anthony Zammitti Jr. hailed from Massachusetts and was married to Michelle Zammitti. The two shared a tight bond and were parents to three kids. To obtain his education, he enrolled at Wakefield High School and graduated in 1985. On the professional front, he served as the President of his family-run firm, Allstate Concrete Pumping Company, in Wakefield, Middlesex County. The 39-year-old was a part of a training program at Operating Engineers Local 4. In addition to that, Michael was also associated with several sponsorship-related activities at the non-profit organization Lowell Boys Club.
On the other hand, Chester W. Roberts Jr. came into the world of Chester W. “Chet” Roberts, Sr. and Luellen R. (née Swarbrick) on July 2, 1954, in the city of Melrose in Middlesex County. He grew up alongside his loving siblings — Patricia E. Diskes, Jane R. Gagnon, and Gordon W. Roberts. Sadly, the Roberts family lost their patriarch in 1989. As far as his profession is concerned, he worked as a handyman as well as driver in the area. Both Michael and Chester were hardworking individuals and respected members of the community.
They kept to themselves and had no known enemies, which is why their sudden death left everyone shocked. On March 13, 2006, Michael and Chester tragically lost their lives after being fatally shot while working at the former’s small-time concrete business. Following their deaths, multiple theories emerged about the reason behind the crime. With little to no evidence to go by, the police immediately launched an investigation and began looking for any leads to identify the perpetrator/s.
Michael Zammitti Jr. Became a Target of a Jealous Lover, While Chester Roberts’ Death Was Incidental
Once the authorities were done inspecting and collecting evidence from the crime scene, they began the interrogation process and talked to Michael Zammitti Jr. and Chester Robert’s friends and family to extract more information about their lives. Just a few weeks of digging deep into the case led them to a possible motive for their murders — an alleged affair between Michael’s wife and a family friend named Sean Fitzpatrick. The latter resided near the Zammittis’ vacation house in Freedom, New Hampshire.
Sean used to spend quite a lot of time with the Zammittis, so much so that he was Uncle Sean to the couple’s three children. According to Michelle, she and Sean got close to each other over the years and bonded emotionally. But soon, this platonic friendship turned into an affair in 2005. In the month of August of the same year, Michael’s mother caught Michelle and Sean hugging each other. When their affair was made public to the family and Michael, the Zammittis resorted to marriage counseling sessions. After that, their marriage began improving, but Sean kept pushing her to leave Michael so that they could begin a new life together. However, Michelle reportedly was of the opinion that she would stay with her husband unless he left her first.
In 2006, the Zammittis traveled to New Hampshire for a weekend getaway, where Michael ran into Sean on frozen Ossipee Lake while they were driving all-terrain vehicles. Then, the next morning, Michael and Chester’s lifeless bodies were found at the office by Michael’s father, Michael Zammitti Sr. As per the prosecutors, Sean stole a truck from his neighbor and drove to Michael’s office in Wakefield to kill him, but Chester came in at the wrong time, so he murdered him as well. The authorities found a suspicious green pickup truck parked outside a residence in Michael’s residential neighborhood. The same truck was seen in surveillance footage on its way to Michael’s workplace.
Prosecutors claimed that Sean sent an anonymous threatening note to Michael’s father after the murder that read “Close Now or Lose More Family.” This was allegedly meant to throw off the detectives and make them believe that Michael was killed due to some family business issues. On the other hand, Sean alleged that he was sleeping at his home in Freedom, New Hampshire, at the time of the murder. However, since there were enough pieces of incriminating evidence against him, he was accused of the murder of Michael Zammitti and arrested for the same on June 6, 2006.
Sean Fitzpatrick is Serving His Life Sentence Today
After Sean Fitzpatrick was arraigned for the murders of Michael Zammitti Jr. and Chester Roberts, the 44-year-old man was held without bail. It was on July 31, 2008, that he was first tried for these charges. But after almost a month, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision, after which a mistrial was declared on August 28, 2008. Sean was up for another trial in 2009, but this time, the jury was able to reach a verdict. In February 2009, he was convicted of first-degree murder and illegal possession of a shotgun.
After the conviction, the prosecutor passed a statement in front of the court, saying, “We are thankful to the jury for returning a just verdict. Sean Fitzpatrick – in a cold-blooded and reprehensible act – took the life of the man who stood in the way of what he wanted. He then cowardly eliminated the only eyewitness, Chester Roberts, by shooting him in the back.” In the same month, Sean Fitzpatrick was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murder of Michael Zammitti Jr. and Chester Roberts.
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