METHUEN — Five years ago Anthony Nunez-Romano, 26, was facing five weapons charges, four of which were felonies, in Lawrence District Court.
According to local court records, all five weapons counts were dismissed in 2020, roughly a year after they were filed. On Tuesday, Nunez-Romano returned to the same court, this time for the alleged murder of his mother, Dominga Romano, 55, with a firearm.
A spokesperson for the Essex County District Attorney’s office said they could not comment on the outcome of the earlier charges or even their existence, since they involved an individual in an ongoing case.
Dominga Romano, who for more than a decade worked at Lawrence Public Schools, was found dead in the home she shared with Nunez-Romano on Monday. Police had been asked to conduct a well-being check at the location on Lyndale Avenue and found her dead with apparent gunshot wounds.
Nunez-Romano is being charged with murder and two related weapons charges.
While it is unclear what exactly happened to the earlier firearms case, including whether it was refiled in another venue or dropped, court records indicate a Probable Cause Hearing, a normally preliminary hearing, first set for Jan. 21, 2020 was rescheduled five times, in part due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The hearing was last set for Oct. 21, 2020, the day the case was dropped and the “defendant discharged.”
Earlier in the proceedings a judge found that Nunez-Romano was not a threat and released him on personal recognizance.
The five voided charges against Nunez-Romano included firearms trafficking, carrying a gun without a license and possession of a large capacity firearm. The case stemmed from a controlled buy of an AK-47 rifle in April 2018.
An FBI report attached to the case file in court documents recounts the investigation which also involved Homeland Security, Mass. State Police and confidential informants.
During a sting operation, the FBI provided confidential informants with the necessary cash – $3,100 from “official agency funds” – as well as two recording devices capable of taking audio and video, agents said.
The transaction took place at or around a home in Methuen on Phillip Avenue, which, according to the report, was the residence of Nunez-Romano at the time.
The deal went mostly smoothly, according to the report by the investigating agents.
The report mentions that during the transaction someone police believed to be the sister of someone involved in the deal began yelling at their brother for being involved in the sale.
The purchase included two fully loaded magazines, one capable of carrying 20 rounds and the other 15.
After the investigation police showed their informant pictures of potential suspects and asked them to pick out faces they recognized from the deal. According to the report, the informant failed to pick out Nunez-Romano. The report did note that both a suspect and Nunez-Romano wore glasses.
Police later identified the seller of the weapon as a member of the Trinitarios Gang, investigators said. It’s unclear what role police alleged Nunez-Romano, who was 18 at the time, played in the transaction
According to the case file, the charge of trafficking between one and three firearms carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison as well as a potential fine under $50,000. The charge of carrying a firearm without a license carries a minimum sentence of 30 months in state prison, or 18 months in a jail or a house of corrections.
In a police report tied to the ongoing case, investigators cite conversations with family members of Nunez-Romano, who raise concerns about his mental health. His sister told authorities during the ongoing investigation that her brother had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.