© 2026
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scam Advisory: We have been made aware that an online entity is posing as Joe Donahue to invite authors and other creatives onto our radio shows. The scammers then attempt to charge guests an appearance fee for exposure/publicity.
Please note: WAMC does not charge guests to appear on the station and any email about appearing on a WAMC program will come from a wamc.org email address.

Berkshire DA: Accelerants Used In Sheffield Fire, No Firearms Found

The door of the Berkshire District Attorney's office.
Josh Landes
/
WAMC

There are new details from the investigation into what authorities say was a quadruple murder-suicide in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington says evidence from the crime scene shows alleged assailant Luke Karpinski used accelerants including propane to set the Home Road residence on fire after killing his wife Justine Wilbur and their three children. Describing the evidence against Karpinski as "overwhelming," Harrington said Monday night that no firearms were found at the scene. Karpinski is said to have taken his own life after committing the four murders.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018 after working at stations including WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Berkshire County, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. You can reach him at jlandes@wamc.org with questions, tips, and/or feedback.
Related Content