Overview
- Co-workers gathered for a vigil outside Hotel UMass for Emma MacDonald, with a second campus memorial scheduled for May 5.
- Police charged her husband, Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, after a report said he admitted he intentionally beat her to death in a campus hotel room.
- At his arraignment he pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail, with the next court date set for May 12.
- Both worked in UMass dining services, and colleagues described Emma as a valued teammate who had been at the university since 2019.
- A GoFundMe for her 10-year-old daughter, Sadie, has raised more than $19,000, with funds routed to grandparents for counseling and long-term support.