Bedside arraignment for Peabody murder suspect

NEWBURYPORT – A Peabody man pleaded not guilty from a hospital bed Monday to a charge that he beat his ex-wife to death with a hammer and baseball bat.”While en route, (the suspect) spontaneously stated that he was ?sorry,'” Massachusetts State Trooper Joshua Ulrich wrote in a report. “He stated that he had intended to kill himself by crashing the car. He asked if his dog had died.”At a beside arraignment at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Joseph Buonanduci, 46, of 5 Putnam St., Peabody, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder.He is charged with killing his ex-wife, Donna Buonanduci, 45, whose body was found on the floor of a bedroom closet at the Putnam Street home, according to police reports. The couple had separated in March 2014 and the divorce was finalized in January.Peabody Police reported responding at approximately 9 p.m. Friday for a well-being check at the Putnam Street address where the couple’s teenage son told police he and his grandfather came to the house to look for Donna Buonanduci, who was not answering calls or text messages.The teenager told police his mother had planned on visiting the Putnam Road home on Friday after work to bring the dog to visit Joseph Buonanduci and pick up some clean sheets to bring to her new home in Marblehead. The teenager told police he went into the home and found a lot of blood on the floor, prompting a call to police.Police reported finding Donna Buonanduci on the floor of a bedroom closet with her face, limbs and head severely beaten. In an adjacent bedroom, police also allegedly found a hammer and aluminum baseball bat with blood.The teenager told police that Joseph Buonanduci was an alcoholic and had a history of suicide attempts. Police learned that Donna Buonanduci’s silver Hyundai was missing and Joseph Buonanduci was not supposed to drive.Police tracked the defendant’s cell phone to Route 213 in Methuen on Saturday morning where a chase reaching speeds of 80 miles per hour ensued, police said.Joseph Buonanduci then allegedly tried to crash his ex-wife’s car into a guardrail, rolling it over on Route 495 in Amesbury at approximately 9:55 a.m. Saturday.Police said the dog died in the crash. Peabody Police also reported injuries on the suspect’s thumbs that were consistent with those one might get from swinging a baseball bat and blood on Joseph Buonanduci’s hands and feet. Police noted that the defendant was bruised and in pain, but not bleeding.At the arraignment, Essex Assistant District Attorney Kristen Buxton requested Joseph Buonanduci be held without bail. Judge James Barretto accepted the request and scheduled Buonanduci to return to court April 28.