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Annamarie Cochrane Rintala was brutally murdered on March 29, 2010, as she was manually strangulated and left to die in the basement of her Granby home. A paramedic at the Ambulance Medical Services, she was scheduled for a night shift on the day she was found dead covered in white paint.
Annamarie's wife, Cara Rintala, had allegedly been out running errands with their adopted daughter Brianna at the time of the incident. Upon returning home and discovering the basement door ajar, she asked her neighbors to call in the police. Annamarie Cochrane Rintala's body was found to have 23 bruises and blunt force trauma on her head. Her autopsy results declared manual strangulation as the cause of her death.
The upcoming season 32 episode 20 of Dateline NBC chronicles Annamarie's death and the prolonged trials of Cara Rintala as it airs on Friday, December 15, 2023, at 10 pm EST.
Who was Annamarie Cochrane Rintala? Details explored
Annamarie Cochrane Rintala was born on July 30, 1972, in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, to William C. and Lucy Martin Cochrane. She studied at the Cathedral H.S. and then trained to be a paramedic at the school in Granby, Connecticut. Annamarie then dedicated herself to the field, working as a paramedic at the AMR Ambulance Medical Services, offering her services to Springfield and Holyoke. Beyond her professional life, she enjoys photography, travelling, scuba-diving, golf, and football.
According to the Boston Magazine, Annamarie entered a relationship with another paramedic, Cara Rintala, in 2002. Cara was a calm, composed individual and was seven years older than Annamarie. Therefore, the pair came across as an unlikely one because of the large difference in their personalities.
However, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala moved into Cara's house in Granby in 2005. The couple adopted their baby girl, Brianna, and got married in Provincetown. The following years of their marriage were described as turbulent by both witnesses and legal records.
On the day she was found dead in her basement, Annamarie was scheduled to work a night shift just like the day before on March 28, 2010.
What happened to Annamarie Cochrane Rintala?
While Annamarie was at work on March 28, 2010, Cara had a male friend named Mike over at their place, which angered her. She had sent several angry texts to Cara and then returned home, sparking another round of heated arguments between them.
The next day, Cara and Brianna returned home around 7 pm after running errands to allegedly find Annamarie lying in the basement. Cara ran to her neighbours, asking them to dial 911. She dropped Brianna and went back to check in on Annamarie.
The first responders reached the scene of the crime within three minutes. Annamarie's eyes were open, and her body was as stiff as a board. There was heavy bleeding from her head due to blunt force trauma. The more puzzling detail was the paint that was spilt all over and around the body from a "5-gallon square bucket", per HuffPost. The officers noted blood splatters and streaks in the basement as well.
While Cara was interrogated about her whereabouts on March 29, 2010, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala's autopsy reports came back suggesting manual strangulation as the cause of her death. Moreover, the Daily Hampshire Gazette stated the findings of forensic pathologist Joann Richmond, who testified that Annamarie met with death six to eight hours before her body was discovered at 7:15 pm. Richmond further stated finding 23 bruises on Annamarie’s arms, legs and back.
The primary suspect in the case, Cara Rintala, was arrested on October 19, 2011, and she has been through four trial hearings so far, wherein the first two in 2013 and 2014 were declared mistrial. She was sentenced to life in prison on the third trial in 2016. However, the conviction was overturned on appeal, and the fourth trial began on September 6, 2023. Cara was sentenced to no less than 12 years or no more than 14 years in prison.
Cara Rintala has served seven and a half years of her previous sentence and presently lives free on bail in Rhode Island, according to Court TV.
