Two Secretly Indicted Today for Attempted Murder in Peabody Shooting

The two suspects in a were secretly indicted today by an Essex County Grand Jury, thus moving the case to Superior Court.

Essex District Attorney spokesman Steve O’Connell said the reason for the secret indictments was because “it was a grand jury investigation to determine who was involved in the shooting.”

Both Anthony Polsonetti, Jr., 52, of 32 New Way Ln., Gloucester, and Christopher Sherry, 40, of 11 Winthrop Ave., Beverly, are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit assault and extortion.

Prosecutors say Sherry was commissioned by Polsonetti to collect an unpaid debt from one Michael Aresco, who lives at 611 Lowell St. Sherry was initially duped by Aresco into thinking he had the wrong person on Feb. 15, but then returned the next morning and fired a high-powered semi-automatic assault rifle 14 times into the home.

Sherry was arrested by Beverly and Peabody police Thursday afternoon at his residence and then arraigned in Salem District Court this morning.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held on $20,000 cash bail by Judge Timothy Feeley. Essex First Assistant District Attorney John T. Dawley had requested $250,000 cash bail.

Polsonetti is expected to turn himself in for an arraignment at Salem Superior Court on Monday. He is also charged with trafficking a Class A substance (opium) and a Class B substance (oxycodone), two counts of usury related to loan sharking, and intent to procure another to commit perjury.

Feeley did set pre-trial probationary conditions for Sherry, including no drug or alcohol use, submitting to random screens, and no contact or communication with the victim or witnesses in the case.

Sherry is due back in court on Sept. 27 for a pre-trial conference.

According to a press release today from the DA’s office, Dawley told the court that Sherry confronted the victim, Aresco, at his Lowell Street home on the evening of Feb. 15, having allegedly been commissioned by Polsonetti to collect an unpaid debt.

Aresco, however, managed to convince Sherry he had the wrong person – Sherry didn’t know what the debtor looked like – but after going to a neighbor’s house, Sherry realized he’d been duped.

Dawley said that around 6 a.m. the next day, 14 shots were fired into Aresco’s home from a high-powered rifle. The semi-automatic weapon was fired from the sidewalk outside the home.

No injuries were reported in relation to the shooting.

During the course of investigation, a search of Polsonetti’s Gloucester home yielded evidence of drug trafficking, extortion and loan sharking.

Today’s press release said the joint investigation was conducted by Peabody Police Detective Eric Ricci, Beverly Police Detective Thomas Nolan and Special Agent Eric Kotchian from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, along with Dawley.