Suvechha Sarkar
Annamarie Cochrane Rintala was a devoted mother and a compassionate person. When she was murdered on March 29, 2010, it shocked the entire community of Massachusetts. Her untimely demise not only left a void in the lives of her loved ones but also sparked years of legal battles and mistrials. When the investigators started unraveling the truth, they discovered the person closest to her was behind the heinous crime. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Down the Basement Stairs’ chronicles the investigation that ensued following the murder. It also features interviews from her loved ones and officials who were directly involved during the decade-long trial process.
Annamarie Rintala Was a Doting Mother and a Caring Partner
Annamarie Cochrane was born on July 30, 1972, in Springfield, Massachusetts. The beacon of light in the life of her father and mother, William and Lucy Cochrane, she was brought up in a warm Irish-Italian family. Since childhood, Annamarie was surrounded by the love and support of her parents and her brother, Charles. A graduate of Cathedral High School, she was a determined and spirited learner. She pursued higher education across several institutions, including Springfield College, American International College, and Notre Dame, reflecting her lifelong commitment to growth. Annamarie next set her sights on immersing herself in serving others. Hence, she trained in a paramedic school in Granby, Connecticut, and embarked on her professional journey.
Annamarie began working as a paramedic with AMR ambulance medical services in both Springfield and Holyoke. She was also an adventurous individual, which led her to Master Dive School in Palm Beach, Florida. In her free time, she indulged herself in sports, scuba diving, traveling, and many other activities. In 2002, Annamarie met Cara Lee Rintala, who was also a fellow paramedic. Soon after, they formed a deep connection, and she ended up moving in with her at Granby, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. By 2007, the couple had tied the knot in the courthouse and joyfully adopted a 6-day-old girl, Brianna. However, their relationship hit a rough patch in September 2008 when Annamarie reportedly got Cara arrested on charges of domestic assault and battery. However, the charges were dropped soon after based on the former’s request.
Annamarie Rintala Was Killed in the Basement of Her House
By May 2009, the rough patch stretched when Annamarie and Cara filed for divorce. The former asked for the sole custody of Brianna. Additionally, they also filed restraining orders against one another. Annamarie’s debt and spending habits also strained their relationship further. However, things began to take a turn for the better in early 2010, when they began working actively on their marriage. The couple even took a family trip to Florida in February, marking their path towards a hopeful new chapter. However, everything turned upside down on March 29, 2010. Cara returned home around 7 pm with Brianna after running some errands. To her shock, she found Annamarie lying at the bottom of the basement stairs. She rushed with Brianna to her neighbors and asked them to call 911 promptly.
Cara returned to her home alone, and when the officials arrived on the scene, they found her crying with Annamarie across her lap. They found Annamarie deceased and noticed a lot of blood on the floor. They reportedly observed that there was paint all over the place and also on her remains. The lead investigator noticed that she had several lacerations to the head, and the remains seemingly had been there for a long time. Additionally, they discovered that the paint was still wet and items in the basement had blood underneath them. This indicated that the items might have been moved. Although the officials initially considered the possibility of a bad fall, it was soon discarded. The autopsy results determined the cause of death to be strangulation. This ultimately led to the launch of a homicide investigation.
Annamarie Rintala’s Killer Stood Trial Four Times Before Her Final Conviction
Detective first questioned Cara, who alleged that Annamarie returned home around 8:30 am from her night shift on that fateful day. They allegedly played with Brianna, and after lunch, the latter asked her to run by the mall. She claimed she left the house around 3 pm and went to the mall. Cara stated that she wanted to go to McDonald’s, but later changed her mind to Burger King. She alleged that Brianna first spotted Annamarie down the stairs when they returned. That is when she rushed to the neighbor’s home. Further investigation revealed that Annamarie likely had an emotional affair with one of her male friends, Mark Oleksak. He reportedly had co-signed three credit cards with her, and she owed him a debt of $7000. Although he initially gave conflicting accounts, his alibi eventually checked out.
Additionally, the last text exchange between Annamarie and Mark was affectionate, and she was already paying him back. Officials ruled him out as a suspect and then questioned the former’s ex-girlfriend, Carla Daniele. They reportedly rekindled their romance when Annamarie and Cara were briefly separated. Additionally, she had a $10,000 debt on Carla’s card. However, Annamarie left her and returned to her wife in late 2009. Carla informed the police that she was at her gym at the time of the murder. A footage from the area confirmed her alibi, ruling her out as another suspect. Investigators then focused on the fact that the timeline of Annamarie’s murder was between late morning and not after 1 pm. Since Cara claimed she left the house around 3 pm, she became a prime suspect.
Additionally, officials discovered that Cara had sent an angry text to Annamarie the night before when she learnt that the latter had brought over a male friend to the house. They reportedly found surveillance footage revealing that she discarded three cleaning rags at the farthest disposable bin near McDonald’s. One of these rags had female DNA, and upon inspection, it was declared to be potentially of Annamarie. Additionally, they alleged that Cara used the paint to cover the evidence in the crime scene. Ultimately, she was arrested in October 2011 and charged with the first-degree murder of her wife. Her first and second jury trials in March 2013 and October 2014 ended with a hung jury, unable to reach a decision. The third trial commenced in October 2016.
In that trial, Cara was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. However, in September 2021, she appealed her conviction. It was overturned in September 2021 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, based on prejudicial errors related to expert testimony on the paint evidence at the crime scene. Following this, she was released on a bail bond of $50,000. Her fourth trial commenced on September 6, 2023, which ultimately led to a conviction for voluntary manslaughter. On October 19, 2023, she was sentenced to 12 to 14 years in prison with credit for the seven and a half years she had already served. Following this, Cara had filed motions to reduce her sentence and appeal her conviction. However, in June 2024, a Hampshire Superior Court denied the motion to reduce her sentence. As of writing, Cara is serving her time in a Massachusetts state prison.
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