In the days before Brianna Welsh was found dead in her Lynn apartment, she had been telling her friends how excited she was to be a new mother. Welsh, 25, had spoken on a video call with one of her close friends, Shaylee Kopellas, and showed her a picture of a recent ultrasound. “All she ever wanted was to be a mom,” Kopellas said as she fought back tears.
“She took care of all her friends and was there when anyone needed her at the drop of a dime. She’s always been there for me.” Welsh was found stabbed to death in her apartment last week after her family requested a well-being check because they hadn’t heard from her, according to a police report.
Authorities said Welsh suffered multiple “sharp force injuries” and charged her boyfriend’s brother, Zachary Vozzella, 26, with her murder . Investigators believe Welsh was killed while her boyfriend, Brendon Vozzella, 24, was in police custody after allegedly assaulting Welsh during a domestic incident. Advertisement Zachary Vozzella was ordered held without bail after he pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
His attorney could not be reached for comment. His next court date is a probable cause hearing set for Sept. 10.
Welsh’s close friends recalled her as a caring, loyal friend who long wanted a family of her own. Kopellas and another close friends, Tory Nesta, said Welsh developed close relationships with their own kids and she seemed destined .