‘Our Linda’: Andover murder victim had major finance job at local company | Merrimack Valley

ANDOVER — Intensely private and reserved, Linda Robinson was also diligent, exacting and detail oriented, her former boss recalled.

“That’s an enormous thing to have in a finance director in a complicated business,” said Mark DiSalvo, president and CEO of Sema4, Inc., also known as Semaphore, in North Andover.

Robinson was his director of finance for 25 years. She left the company on good terms shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, said DiSalvo, who is also the North Andover town moderator.

Linda Robinson, 55, was found murdered early Thursday morning in her $2 million 48 Porter Road home. Her son, Sebastian, 12, was also shot to death. Robinson’s husband, Andrew, 56, is believed to have killed his wife and son — then himself, authorities said.

Sema4, Inc. is a leading global professional services provider of private equity, venture capital and hedge funds management.

As finance director, Linda Robinson had the most senior finance job in the international company, he said.

“She literally worked for me for a quarter of a century,” DiSalvo said in an interview Friday.

Police were called to the Robinson home at 3:21 am after receiving a 911 call. Authorities have not said who made the call, what he or she said, nor released a tape of the 911 transmission.

The incident remains under investigation by Andover police and state troopers assigned to District Attorney Paul Tucker’s office.

In a press release Tucker said the DA’s office is “mindful of the dangers of domestic violence and reminds the public that it has personnel and programs to help victims of cope, as do outside agencies.”

Prior to early Thursday morning, the Andover police never had any interaction with the Robinson family, Lt. Edward Guy, department spokesperson, said.

Guy said they never called the police. and they were never brought to the department’s attention “for any reason.”

There is no record of restraining orders at the Robinson home either, Guy said.

In Salvo, co-workers and colleagues were horrified and saddened to learn of the family’s demise. He said they were experiencing their own trauma about the loss of “our Linda.”

“I shudder to think of the hell of that family’s last moments on earth,” DiSalvo said.

Linda (Hachey) Robinson was born in Lynn, attended Lynn Public Schools and graduated from Merrimack College in North Andover with a degree in accounting, DiSalvo said.

She moved to the Merrimack Valley during her first marriage to a man from Methuen named Sean Quinn. He said they originally purchased the land and built the home at 48 Porter Road.

Robinson’s second husband was Andrew Robinson, who was known as “Drew.” He worked in building and development for the Channel Company, DiSalvo said.

DiSalvo described Drew as “an equally private person.”

Linda was very proud of her Canadian heritage and shared a close relationship with her mother, who died in 2020, DiSalvo said.

Her looks were stunning and she had been a model at one point, he said.

Private and protective of her family, she said she had no social media presence.

Her son, Sebastian, was the light of her life, DiSalvo said. Homeschooled for a time, Sebastian was a sixth-grader this year at St. John’s Prep in Danvers. The school held a vigil for him Thursday evening. Classes were also canceled Thursday and Friday. Most recently he attended St. John’s Prep in Danvers.

DiSalvo described Sebastian, which is also his middle name, as “the cutest kid.”

“In truth, he was her world. period. Underscores. Exclamation,” he said.

After she left Sema4, Inc., it’s unclear if Linda Robinson worked. DiSalvo said he did not know if she was employed “but if she was, she was working from home,” he said.

Sema4, Inc. is an international company and DiSalvo said clients and contacts are being told about the murder-suicide.

“There’s a lot of sadness around the world about our Linda and her son,” DiSalvo said.

DiSalvo said while he respected Linda’s professional skills and abilities, he also “respected that she chose to be private.”

“She put up walls where she wanted them to be up,” he said.

Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *