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Case file

Emily Ferlazzo case file and memorial story

This documented case file remembers Emily Ferlazzo while organizing the public record, timeline, and reporting context surrounding the case in Bolton, Vermont.

In October 2021, Emily Ferlazzo, a 22-year-old nurse, and her husband, Joseph Ferlazzo Jr., a 41-year-old tattoo artist, traveled from their home in Northfield, New Hampshire, to Bolton, Vermont. The trip was intended to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary. They traveled and stayed in a school bus they had converted into a camper. On October 16, 2021, while parked in Bolton, Joseph Ferlazzo shot Emily twice in the head, killing her. He then dismembered her body with a handsaw, packed her remains into garbage bags, and hid them in the camper's bathroom. After driving back to New Hampshire alone, Joseph told Emily’s family she had left him after an argument and likely took an Uber home. Her family reported her missing on October 18, 2021. On October 19, Joseph confessed the killing to a friend, Spencer Lemons, who forced him out of his car and called 911. Police arrested Joseph at a convenience store in St. Albans, Vermont. The camper van was located at a friend's property in St. Albans, where detectives discovered Emily's remains. In December 2024, a jury rejected Joseph's claim of self-defense and convicted him of first-degree murder. On April 24, 2025, he was sentenced to 42.5 years to life in prison. In a separate civil action in January 2023, Emily's mother was awarded $1.5 million in a wrongful death judgment.

Emily Ferlazzo
Resolved case
Convicted
Bolton, Vermont • 2021-10-16 • wife
intimate partner violence uxoricide domestic-homicide body-dismemberment camper-van-isolation conviction-first-degree-murder civil-wrongful-death-judgment age-gap-relationship new-hampshire-residents vermont-crime-scene

How to use this case file

Readers often arrive looking for the victim name, the case, the suspect, or the location. This page is meant to help you understand the memorial story, the documented timeline, and the verified public record in one place.

Browse the full case archive, explore the warning signs index, see the cross-case timeline, or find domestic violence support resources.

Victim summary

This summary layer helps readers understand the person, the known case posture, and the documentary shape of the file before moving into the fuller reporting.

Case snapshot

  • Victim: Emily Ferlazzo
  • Age: 22
  • Gender: female
  • Race / ethnicity: W
  • Relationship: wife
  • Offender: Joseph Ferlazzo

Location and dates

  • City: Bolton
  • County: Chittenden
  • State: Vermont
  • Incident date: 2021-10-16
  • Date of death: 2021-10-16

Case status and outcome

This section summarizes the court posture and procedural outcome that readers most often search for.

Status

  • Case status: Sentenced
  • Conviction status: Convicted
  • Source strength: 5 linked sources

Charges and sentencing

Charges: First Degree Murder

Court monitoring

This section reflects core court-tracking details only when they are available in the public case record.

Docket information

  • Case status: Sentenced

Warning signs and risk factors

These markers help readers connect a single case to broader patterns of coercive control, escalating abuse, and missed intervention points.

Risk factors

Coercive control Prior domestic violence reports Access to firearms Isolation from support network Escalating threats

Life, memory, and case context

Emily Schwarz Ferlazzo was a compassionate 22-year-old registered nurse who dedicated her life to caring for others. She earned her nursing license in Vermont in August 2020 and was starting her career in healthcare just as she met and married her husband during the COVID-19 pandemic. Described by her family as a kind and gentle young woman, Emily loved animals, especially her beloved dog Remington, who accompanied her everywhere. Those close to her remember her bright spirit, her commitment to her nursing profession, and the profound tragedy of a young life cut short just as it was beginning.

Timeline of known events

  • 2020-10-01 00:00:00 Marriage of Emily and Joseph
    Emily Schwarz and Joseph Ferlazzo Jr. marry in New Hampshire. Timeline sources: - https://www.courttv.com/trials/vt-v-joseph-ferlazzo-2024/ - https://indepthnh.org/2023/01/16/judge-orders-joseph-ferlazzo-jr-to-pay-1-5m-in-wrongful-death-of-wife/
  • 2021-10-16 00:00:00 Homicide and Dismemberment
    Joseph Ferlazzo shoots Emily Ferlazzo twice in the head inside their converted camper van in Bolton, Vermont, subsequently dismembering her remains. Timeline sources: - https://www.courttv.com/trials/vt-v-joseph-ferlazzo-2024/ - https://vtdigger.org/2025/04/24/joseph-ferlazzo-sentenced-to-42-and-a-half-years-to-life-for-murder-of-his-wife-emily-ferlazzo/ - https://indepthnh.org/2023/01/16/judge-orders-joseph-ferlazzo-jr-to-pay-1-5m-in-wrongful-death-of-wife/ - https://vtdigger.org/2021/10/20/joseph-ferlazzo-held-without-bail-on-first-degree-murder-charge-for-wifes-death/
  • 2021-10-18 00:00:00 Missing Person Report Filed
    Emily's family reports her missing after Joseph returns to New Hampshire alone and tells them they had an argument and she left. Timeline sources: - https://www.courttv.com/trials/vt-v-joseph-ferlazzo-2024/ - https://vtdigger.org/2025/04/24/joseph-ferlazzo-sentenced-to-42-and-a-half-years-to-life-for-murder-of-his-wife-emily-ferlazzo/ - https://vtdigger.org/2021/10/20/joseph-ferlazzo-held-without-bail-on-first-degree-murder-charge-for-wifes-death/
  • 2021-10-19 00:00:00 Arrest and Confession
    Vermont State Police locate Joseph Ferlazzo in St. Albans, Vermont. During interrogation, he confesses to the murder and reveals the location of Emily's remains inside the camper van. Timeline sources: - https://www.courttv.com/trials/vt-v-joseph-ferlazzo-2024/ - https://vtdigger.org/2025/04/24/joseph-ferlazzo-sentenced-to-42-and-a-half-years-to-life-for-murder-of-his-wife-emily-ferlazzo/ - https://vtdigger.org/2021/10/20/joseph-ferlazzo-held-without-bail-on-first-degree-murder-charge-for-wifes-death/
  • 2021-10-20 00:00:00 Initial Arraignment
    Joseph Ferlazzo is arraigned via video from the Northwest State Correctional Facility in Vermont Superior Court, Burlington, pleading not guilty to first-degree murder, and is ordered held without bail. Timeline sources: - https://vtdigger.org/2021/10/20/joseph-ferlazzo-held-without-bail-on-first-degree-murder-charge-for-wifes-death/
  • 2022-12-01 00:00:00 Civil Liability Finding
    A Vermont court finds Joseph Ferlazzo Jr. civilly liable for the wrongful death of Emily Schwarz Ferlazzo. Timeline sources: - https://indepthnh.org/2023/01/16/judge-orders-joseph-ferlazzo-jr-to-pay-1-5m-in-wrongful-death-of-wife/
  • 2023-01-16 00:00:00 Wrongful Death Civil Award
    A judge orders Joseph Ferlazzo Jr. to pay over $1.5 million in civil damages to Adrienne Bass, Emily's mother, as part of the civil wrongful death suit. Timeline sources: - https://indepthnh.org/2023/01/16/judge-orders-joseph-ferlazzo-jr-to-pay-1-5m-in-wrongful-death-of-wife/
  • 2024-12-10 00:00:00 First-Degree Murder Conviction
    Following a jury trial in Chittenden County, Vermont, Joseph Ferlazzo is found guilty of first-degree murder as the jury rejects his self-defense claim. Timeline sources: - https://vtdigger.org/2024/12/10/jury-finds-joseph-ferlazzo-guilty-of-first-degree-murder/ - https://www.courttv.com/trials/vt-v-joseph-ferlazzo-2024/
  • 2025-04-24 00:00:00 Sentencing
    Chittenden County Superior Court Judge John Pacht sentences Joseph Ferlazzo to 42.5 years to life in prison. Timeline sources: - https://www.courttv.com/trials/vt-v-joseph-ferlazzo-2024/ - https://vtdigger.org/2025/04/24/joseph-ferlazzo-sentenced-to-42-and-a-half-years-to-life-for-murder-of-his-wife-emily-ferlazzo/

Fatal incident and reported circumstances

On October 16, 2021, while parked in a converted camper bus in Bolton, Vermont, Joseph Ferlazzo shot his wife, Emily Ferlazzo, twice in the head. According to police affidavits, the shooting occurred after a verbal dispute inside the small, isolated vehicle. Following her death, Joseph used a handsaw to dismember Emily's body. He then placed her remains inside plastic garbage bags and concealed them within the small bathroom compartment of the camper van.

Aftermath and case developments

After the homicide, Joseph Ferlazzo returned to New Hampshire alone and claimed Emily had walked away from the camper after a fight. Emily's parents reported her missing on October 18, 2021. The following day, Joseph confessed to a friend, Spencer Lemons, who immediately called 911. Vermont State Police located Joseph at a convenience store in St. Albans, where he was arrested. Investigators recovered the camper van and Emily's remains at a property in St. Albans. Joseph was charged with first-degree murder under case number 21-CR-08967. In January 2023, Emily's mother, Adrienne Bass, successfully sued Joseph in a civil wrongful death lawsuit, securing a $1.5 million judgment. During his criminal trial in December 2024, Joseph claimed he acted in self-defense, but the jury rejected this and found him guilty of first-degree murder. On April 24, 2025, he was sentenced to 42.5 years to life in prison. Emily's family recovered her dog, Remington, and continues to advocate against domestic violence.

Prevention context

This case highlights several key warning signs and system barriers in domestic abuse situations: * **Physical Warning Signs:** Family members had previously observed physical marks, including scratches and bruises on Emily, indicating ongoing physical abuse prior to the fatal escalation. * **Extreme Isolation:** Traveling in a converted camper bus to remote or unfamiliar areas removed Emily from her immediate support network, leaving her with no physical escape route or access to help during a crisis. * **Significant Power Disbalance:** The twenty-year age gap between 22-year-old Emily and her 41-year-old husband may have contributed to a power imbalance that made it harder for her to seek safety or leave the relationship.

Family interviews and memorial voices

When families choose to speak, their words help preserve memory, context, and the human reality behind the public record.

Family interview

State of Vermont v. Joseph Ferlazzo

State of Vermont v. Joseph Ferlazzo
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Court records and public filings

Public filings, police reports, court dockets, and related records help establish what is documented, what remains disputed, and where warnings were recorded.

Court record or filing

Joseph Ferlazzo sentencing

verified Joseph Ferlazzo sentencing
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Additional evidence and source material

Some materials do not fit neatly into one category but still belong in the documentary record of the case.

News report

Joseph Ferlazzo guilty of first-degree murder

verified Joseph Ferlazzo guilty of first-degree murder
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