Members of a community hit hard by tragedy gathered Saturday night to mourn the death of a local teen who police say died at the hands of his dad last week.
Friends and family gathered to grieve at Cheshire High School and swapped stories from happier times. Glowing candles surrounded framed pictures of 19-year-old Christopher A. Settembri, who died alongside his father in a murder-suicide at their home on Cornwall Avenue.
“He was a very funny person and always made someone’s day if you were having a bad day or just feeling low in that moment,” said Brianna Pimpinelli, who remembered Settembri from high school. She said Settembri had attended Wilcox Technical High School and transferred to Cheshire to study manufacturing at the beginning of his senior year.
It’s the second recent death of a young person in Cheshire and the community is reeling. Just a week ago, 19-year-old Isabella Gozzo died in a car crash in Berlin. Police say her boyfriend was behind the wheel and lost control of the car.
Police are still trying to piece together what happened on Cornwall Avenue and figure out why the elder Christopher Settembri would turn the gun on his own son. Those who knew him called the younger Settembri a good kid and a hard worker.
According to his obituary, visiting hours will be held at the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday. Funeral services for Settembri will take place that afternoon at the St. Thomas Beckett Church in Cheshire.
Family members are collecting donations in Settembri’s name. Checks can be made out to:
Local
Settembri Family
c/o People’s United Bank
275 Highland Avenue, Cheshire CT 06410
