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Father of murdered Lynn teacher says crime 'ruined two families'

REVERE, Mass. — The husband of a beloved second grade teacher wept Wednesday as he was officially charged with her murder, and now her family has spoken out for the first time about the crime as disturbing new details of her killing were released in court.

MORE: 'I hate you so much': DA paints picture of failing marriage in murder arraignment

It’s a crime that has shaken two communities to their core.

Vanessa MacCormack, a teacher in Lynn, was found dead in the bedroom of her Revere home Saturday afternoon.

According to court documents, she had blunt force trauma to her face, was missing teeth, suffered stab wounds to her neck and had a trash bag over her head.

Her husband, Andrew MacCormack, appeared in court Wednesday and cried as horrific details of his wife were released and he was charged with murdering her.

After the killing, prosecutors allege he then drove himself and one-year-old daughter to buy cocaine before returning home to scrub the crime scene with bleach.

Vanessa’s father, Vinny Masucci, spoke to the Lynn Daily Item and said the family had a sense something was wrong when they didn’t hear from her on Saturday. They finally called Andrew, who told them she was dead after several calls back and forth.

Masucci told the paper he and his wife drove to Revere from a store in Seabrook, New Hampshire, telling the paper, “I told them I want to see it. It can’t be true. I want to see my daughter. But they said I couldn’t go in there. They told me I didn’t want to see it.”

But in court, materials seemed to document signs of trouble. Investigators allege Andrew had a $500 a week cocaine habit that put a strain on the marriage, as detailed in text messages.

Less than a month ago, Vanessa texted, “I’ll talk to an agent tomorrow about listing the house and I’ll look for divorce lawyers.”

Andrew responded, “You’re crazy. I’m not signing anything to sell the house or get divorced.”

In a more recent message, Vanessa wrote, “Don’t you dare get frustrated with me. You deserve to be questioned.”

Just one day before the brutal killing, she wrote, “Please tell me this will be OK. I’m starting to panic.”

Prosecutors said Vanessa was set to start a part-time job this week. One the day of her killing, she had plans to work out and go apple picking. In the Lynn Daily Item, her father said, “She never let on. Her smile never changed. She was so loving, and she made everyone around her laugh.”

Masucci said the family was stunned by the horrific details released in court Wednesday, but doesn’t harbor any hatred for the suspect’s family. Masucci told the paper, “We love Andrew’s mother. When we got to court, we hugged them and talked to them. They didn’t do anything wrong. Vanessa adored her. This has ruined two families. Our family will never be the same. Neither will theirs.”

A vigil for Vanessa is set to take place Friday at Revere City Hall.