Palm Sunday massacre (homicide)

The Palm Sunday massacre was a 1984 mass-murder in Brooklyn, New York, that resulted in the deaths of ten people: three women, a teenage girl, and six children. There was one survivor, an infant girl.

All of the victims were shot 19 times from two handguns at close range, most in the head, and were found in relaxed poses sitting in couches and chairs, suggesting that they had been taken by surprise. There were no signs of drugs or robbery at the scene, but the home was owned by one of the victim's husbands; a convicted cocaine dealer. In 1985, Christopher Thomas was convicted on ten counts of manslaughter, but was cleared of murder charges. The jury had convicted him of intentional murder, but the charges were reduced due to "extreme emotional disturbance". Prosecutors said that the motive was jealousy. Thomas was sentenced to from 83 to 250 years, but due to state law was expected to spend no more than 50 years in prison.

The sole survivor, an infant female, was raised by her grandmother. Joanna Jaffe, at the time a "beat cop" and by 2014 the highest ranking female officer in the New York Police Department, was assigned to the infant girl, and stayed in contact with her as she grew up. The girl lived with Jaffe starting at age 14. In 2014, after the death of the girl's grandmother, Jaffe adopted her at the age of 31.