crime

Prosecutors said Ricci was unable to overcome her anger and jealousy related to her husband’s extramarital affair several years earlier.

A Marshfield woman was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for stabbing her husband, a Boston firefighter, to death in 2021 following a verbal argument at the couple’s home.

Christine Ricci, 49, was convicted earlier this month of second-degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in the death of 51-year-old Michael Ricci Sr., who served with the Boston Fire Department for 23 years. Prosecutors said Ricci stabbed her husband in the heart and back because she could not overcome her anger and jealousy over an extramarital affair Michael Ricci had several years earlier.

Judge Diane Freniere sentenced Ricci to six years in prison for assault, followed by life in prison for murder with the possibility of parole after 20 years. Ricci’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

“Michael Ricci Sr. was an Army veteran and proud member of the Boston Fire Department,” Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz said in a statement. “However, his most important role was that of a caring father, son, sibling and friend to many. My thoughts today are with the Ricci family, torn apart by this tragic and senseless murder.”

In victim impact statements read in court on Thursday, Michael Ricci’s mother, siblings and children reflected on his memory.

“My dad was and still is my hero,” Michael Ricci Jr. said, according to a video from Court TV. “He’s the person I looked up to and tried to live my life like he did.”

He said his father was a role model of selfless living and helping others, adding that his absence had deeply impacted the Ricci family.

“We have years of healing ahead of us, somehow finding a sense of normalcy and becoming a family again,” said Michael Ricci Jr. “It’s going to take a lot of time, a lot of tears and perseverance, but we have to do it alone between me and my siblings.”

Through tears, Sophiya Ricci, the couple’s daughter, spoke about how many moments she had missed with her father and how guilty she felt about missing her mother, despite Christine Ricci’s behavior on January 28, 2021.

“I just want to bring my family back together as much as possible and I want more than anything for us to heal together,” Sophiya Ricci said.

According to online court records, Christine Ricci must serve her sentence at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley.

“Ms. Ricci, you will live in your soul for the rest of your life with the guilt and burden of the death of Michael Ricci Sr.,” Freniere said at the verdict, according to a court television video.