A 40-year-old Tewksbury man was arrested in connection to the death of his girlfriend, who prosecutors say was found dead with injuries to her face, neck, and extremities in the couple’s home Sunday.

Eric Griffin was arraigned in Lowell District Court Monday for assault and battery on a household or family member, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office.

He was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday.

Authorities say Jennifer Kalicki, 39, was found dead at the Archstone Avenue apartment she shared with Griffin after Griffin called 911 Sunday when she was unresponsive, WCVB reports.


The discovery was made a day after Kalicki sent texts to Griffin’s sister, describing Griffin attacking her and pleading for help, according to the news station.

“He’s ripped the door open. Choked me, slammed me to the ground,” one message read.

“Please help me,” another said.

Ryan’s office said investigators are still probing the case, which they have described as a suspicious death.

Here’s what we know:

What authorities say happened

Tewksbury police contacted Massachusetts State Police assigned to Ryan’s office Sunday around 8:30 a.m., prosecutors said in a statement.

Kalicki was found unresponsive in bed, officials said.

“She had visible trauma to her face, to her neck, and to her extremities,” Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Wiseman said in court Monday. “She was pronounced dead at the scene.”

NEW: The mother of Jennifer Kalicki, 39, says her daughter suffered domestic abuse for a long time. Kalicki’s boyfriend, Eric Griffin, faces a domestic assault and battery charge after her body was found at a #Tewksbury apartment complex Sunday morning. #NBC10Boston #NECN pic.twitter.com/k0YtjKlhMV — Mike Manzoni NBC10 Boston (@MikeNBCBoston) September 16, 2019

According to dispatch recordings, Griffin made the initial emergency call after he said he woke up and found Kalicki cold and not breathing, WCVB reports.

On Saturday morning, Kalicki had sent Griffin’s sister the text messages asking for her help when Griffin allegedly assaulted her.

“He’s losing it…I just need help,” Kalicki wrote. “I’m tired of him making me the victim.”

“During those text messages, the victim was begging the defendant’s sister for help,” Wiseman told the court Monday. “She also indicated in those text messages that the defendant slammed her on the ground and the defendant had strangled her.”


Griffin’s sister did not call police, Boston 25 News reports.

Eric Griffin is charged with assault and battery on a family/ household member. His next hearing is on Friday. @wbz pic.twitter.com/5i35LeYKD3 — Lisa Gresci (@Lisa_Gresci) September 16, 2019

Prosecutors said an investigation was opened Sunday, and Griffin was later taken into custody without incident.

Griffin told police that he had argued with Kalicki but said that she had injured herself and denied hurting her, according to The Lowell Sun.

Authorities said, however, Griffin’s explanation was inconsistent with Kalicki’s injuries, the newspaper reports.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of Kalicki’s death.

“This is an open and active investigation being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Tewksbury Police Department and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and additional charges may issue,” Ryan’s office said in a statement. “This is not believed to be a random incident of violence and there is no danger to the public.”

Kalicki bailed Griffin out of jail just days before her death, records show

Griffin was released from jail on Sept. 11 after he was charged with possessing a Class B drug with intent to distribute in a separate pending case, according to the Sun.

Court records show Kalicki posted the $250 cash bail for Griffin, the newspaper reports. His bail was revoked in court Monday.

The charge filed in connection to Kalicki’s death is the latest installment in Griffin’s criminal record, which includes several defaults and probation violations and two prior restraining orders, the Sun reports.

A domestic violence case against Griffin involving Kalicki was dismissed Sept. 9, according to the newspaper.

Kalicki’s mother: ‘He murdered her. There’s no two ways about it.’

Speaking through tears outside the courthouse Monday, Kathy Gadd, Kalicki’s mother, told reporters she wants prosecutors to bring a hefty sentence against Griffin.


She said her daughter was scared of her boyfriend, WBZ-TV reports.

“He murdered her. He murdered her,” Gadd said. “There’s no two ways about it. I want him to get the most they can give him.”

She tried to reach Kalicki by phone all weekend to no avail, she said.

“I just hate him. I hate him so much,” Gadd said of Griffin, according to Boston 25 News. “And he’s going to try and say he’s sorry. That’s the type of person he is. He’s not sorry. He’s just sorry he got caught.”

Gadd described her daughter as a good person and loyal friend.

“She was a most wonderful daughter a mother could ask for and I can’t believe I’ll never see her again,” she said.