Pittsfield Woman Victim of Colorado Homicide

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Jordan Labarre
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former city woman was the victim of a homicide in Colorado last week. 
 
Jordan Elizabeth Labarre, 32, of Breckenridge, Colo., was found deceased on Monday, July 7, at a residence in Blue River, Colo. 
 
Labarre, a graduate of the former St. Joseph's High School, was the daughter and stepdaughter of Joann Shugrue and Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. 
 
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, police were called to the Blue River residence at 6:20 p.m. over reports of gunshots, and more were heard when they arrived at the scene. 
 
CBI said the home's occupant, Daniel Joseph DeVito, 46, came out when ordered and was taken into custody without incident.
 
DeVito was charged with first degree murder and is being held on $2.5 million bail. He also is facing charges for allegedly assaulting and threatening another woman three days earlier. 
 
The articles did not indicate what the relationship was between Labarre and DeVito but her brother, Joshua Labarre, wrote "her life was tragically taken in an act of domestic violence" on a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs in bringing her home. 
 
Labarre grew up in Chicopee until moving to the Berkshires with her mother and brother and attending St. Joe. She graduated from  Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 2015 and moved to Breckenridge not long afterward. She worked at a cleaning service. Her family said she loved the outdoors, the family she'd created in Breckenridge, and her dog, Lincoln. 
 
Besides her mother, stepfather and brother, she leaves a stepsister, Caitlin Shugrue. Her father, Kenneth E. LaBarre, died in 2010.
 
Calling hours will be Thursday, July 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. at St. Mark's Church, with Liturgy of Christian Burial on Friday at 11. Dwyer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. More information can be found here

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Peace Officer Standards Commission Strips Former Pittsfield Cop of Certification

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A former Pittsfield Police officer was one of five statewide who recently had their licenses revoked by the  POST Commission. 

Last week, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission voted to strip five former officers of their licenses to work in law enforcement, including former PPD officer William Straub

The commission had determined that these workers were unfit to carry a badge and gun in Massachusetts; so far, 92 state police officers have been decertified by the commission. 

Records indicate that Straub faced charges tied to a 2024 incident, but details are redacted.  On Oct. 31, 2024, the POST Commission suspended Straub's law enforcement certification, and he resigned from PPD in April. 

"According to Pittsfield District Court records, Straub pleaded guilty in April to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery tied to a 2024 incident," MassLive wrote on Monday. 

"Three other charges, including drunk driving and carrying a firearm while intoxicated, were continued without a finding. While that resolution allows the charges to be dismissed after a period of time if Straub abides by certain conditions, the commission treats them as a criminal conviction."

According to records, he was certified as a police officer in July of 2021, and recertified in July 2024.  

"The Respondent's appointing agency, the Pittsfield Police Department ("PPD"), submitted a final report to the Commission finding that the Respondent had engaged in criminal conduct and conduct unbecoming [of] an officer," the Aug. 20 final decision to decertify reads. 

"The Respondent resigned from PPD on April 9, 2026, prior to the imposition of any discipline." 

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