By Julie Manganis
SALEM — It was one of dozens of civil complaints filed every week in Salem Superior Court. Most are run-of-the mill cases: contract disputes, personal injuries, unpaid debts.
And then there was the case of Joan Baruffaldi, a Lynnfield veterinarian, whose untimely death in a hotel room in the U.S. Virgin Islands is turning into a national news story.
Baruffaldi, 45, was found in the bathroom, a bathrobe strap tied around her neck and around the shower curtain rod, on Nov. 2.
Her husband, Robert Harris, with whom she had been having marital problems, told family members that they had argued and that she then committed suicide.
But family members are questioning his account, pointing to a restraining order granted just a month earlier and allegations of abuse by Baruffaldi against Harris.
Baruffaldi had also recently learned that Harris had engaged in a relationship with a co-worker and believed that they had been having a long-term affair.
Because of that, family members want a second autopsy performed on Baruffaldi before her remains are cremated.
Since that initial filing on Nov. 12, Baruffaldi's former husband, who now has custody of the former couple's children, and members of her family have been seeking that autopsy, while Harris, her second husband, has sought permission to have her remains cremated.
As widower, Harris stands to gain more than $3 million in real estate and other assets, said lawyer Donald McNamee, who represents Baruffaldi's ex-husband and her sister. McNamee also said that Harris may be a beneficiary on life insurance policies.
On Tuesday, Harris and one of his lawyers convinced a Salem Probate and Family Court judge to appoint them co-executors of Baruffaldi's will.
But yesterday, after learning that Harris is still the focus of an ongoing police investigation, Judge John Cronin reversed that order, stripping Harris of control over his late wife's estate.
"Based on what I've heard, it seems to be in everyone's interest to get a complete set of records," Cronin said.
Tomorrow, McNamee will be back in court, this time in Middlesex County, asking a judge to authorize a second autopsy on Barrufaldi.
McNamee said yesterday that he's been fielding calls from national news networks and the CBS show "48 Hours" in between preparing for court hearings in the case.
Harris's lawyer, noted criminal defense attorney Kevin Reddington, has maintained his client's innocence in the case.
