Man convicted of killing former wife sentenced for fatally beating current wife with hammer

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (TCN) — A 68-year-old man convicted of killing his former wife will spend decades behind bars for killing his current wife with a hammer.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said on Sept. 30 that Kenneth Robson received 25 years to life in state prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the 2024 killing of his wife, 45-year-old Quitiza Holmes.

On the morning of April 30, 2024, Springfield Police responded to a home after Robson called 911 and said he hit his wife with a hammer, and “she might be dead.” Robson exited the building and surrendered to police officers.

Inside the home, authorities discovered Holmes in a pool of blood, “suffering from catastrophic head injuries and apparent defensive wounds.” Officers recovered a bloodstained hammer with a wooden handle nearby. The victim was transported to a hospital, where she died on May 16, 2024.

According to prosecutors, “Robson made several spontaneous statements to police, claiming he had ingested drugs that were not what he expected.”

The district attorney’s office noted that Robson was also convicted in 1984 of killing his then-wife, Joan Cusson. One member of that family reportedly attended every court proceeding related to Holmes’ death. Prosecutors said Cusson’s relatives “voiced outrage that Robson had been released from prison and allowed the opportunity to commit another violent act, underscoring their enduring grief and frustration.”

In a statement, Gulluni said, “This was a brutal and senseless attack that ended the life of Quitiza Holmes, a woman who should still be with her family and community today.”

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