Police: Vermont Man Killed in Gun Prank

(CNN) -- A 24-year-old Vermont man was fatally shot by a friend who used a gun in a prank, police said.

The alleged shooter apparently tried to prank his sleeping friend by waking him up with the loud sound of an air rifle, police said.

However, police said, the man mistakenly used a real rifle in the prank.

Nicholas Bell, 23, was charged with manslaughter after the incident Thursday, Manchester police said.

"The accused fired the weapon, which was a loaded .22 cal rifle hitting the [victim] in the chest," a police statement said. "The victim died at the scene."

The victim was identified as 24-year-old Jeffrey Charbonneau.

Both men were guests at the Manchester home where the shooting occurred, police said.

Bell was jailed and bail was set at $250,000.

Prosecutors Claim Suspect Bound, Stabbed Kathleen Smith of Burlington

Burlington, VT- Police believe a drifter bound and killed a Burlington woman in her home last month because she sided with a friend, the mother of his child, in a years-old custody dispute.

Jose Pazos held a grudge against Kathleen Smith for the stance she took in the feud, according to statements to police from a woman who knew Pazos and a friend of Smith’s, lead investigator Detective Paul Petralia wrote in court papers made public at Pazos’ arraignment Tuesday.

Smith, 50, bled to death late Oct. 14 or early Oct. 15 from apparent knife wounds to her neck after being tied up in her home, according to court papers. Authorities said they have significant evidence linking Pazos to the killing:

• Investigators found Smith’s blood on a knife taken from Pazos, 45, at the time of his arrest.

• The type of utility rope used to bind Smith matched rope found at the Burlington encampment where Pazos lived.

• The tread on Pazos’ hiking shoes matched bloody footprints left in Smith’s house, at 154 Park St.

• A search of Pazos’ computer showed he had researched the same “prusik” knot that was used to bind Smith a week before the killing, and searched for news reports about her death — before her body had been found, Oct. 18.

Pazos pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington to first-degree murder, kidnapping (restraining) with the intent to inflict injury, burglarizing an occupied dwelling and operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. Judge Linda Levitt ordered Pazos held without bail. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

He made no comments in court Tuesday, but authorities said he told investigators he had nothing to do with the slaying of Smith, a popular social worker and artist.

“No, I have no reason, no motive,” Pazos said, according to court papers.

Margaret Jansch, one of Pazos’ two court-appointed attorneys, said after the arraignment that the defense had little time to review the court paperwork before the hearing.

“I must say the motive seems rather thin,” Jansch told reporters at the courthouse. “A grudge that’s three years old, but, again, this is something that we’ll find more about as the case progresses.”

Jansch urged the public to avoid judging Pazos prematurely.

“You heard one side of the story today with the facts the police have uncovered so far,” she said. “But that’s only one side of the story. I’m sure as the case progresses, both sides of the case will become clear.”

She declined to discuss any private conversations with Pazos but said, “He seems in good spirits. He appears to me to be an articulate man, an educated man and calm, given the circumstances.”

The mother of Pazos’ second child, Sharon Fialco, who lives in northern Vermont, said they met about 15 years ago, had a child, and then had a dispute regarding the custody of that child, according to court papers. Fialco said she “was not aware of Pazos having any animosity towards Smith,” according to court papers.

Fialco couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

Smith, 50, a popular social worker and artist, was found dead Oct. 18 in her Old North End home by a co-worker when she failed to appear for her job, Burlington police have said.

Pazos had been jailed at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington for lack of $1 million bail on four misdemeanor charges related to the break-in at the Middlebury Snow Bowl. Burlington police discovered Pazos in a shed Oct. 23 at the Snow Bowl, about six miles from a wooded area of Hancock where Smith’s car was found abandoned.

Pazos faces two counts of unlawful trespass, and one charge each of unlawful mischief and petty larceny. Those charges are pending in Addison County.

Police say Pazos killed Smith, stole her car and drove it more than 60 miles to Hancock. He ditched the car off a dirt road in the Green Mountain National Forest after the vehicle struck a rock ledge, traveled about six miles and broke into the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, police said.

Police arrested Pazos a week later at the Snow Bowl while searching the area of the break-in.

Smith, who worked an overnight shift for the Howard Center, missed a mandatory training session Oct. 15 and her shift Oct. 17. She was last reported seen alive walking her dog at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14. A co-worker went to Smith’s house Oct. 18 and found her dead.

Dressed in her nightgown, Smith lay face-down in a pool of dried blood on her kitchen floor, her hands tied behind her back and her fingers duct-taped together, according to court papers. A wire with a wooden handle lay on her back, and another wooden handle, apparently broken from the wire, lay next to her body, court papers said. She had a scarf wrapped around her neck and tied to her hands.

A window pane above the lock on the back door had been removed, court papers said.

Investigators have yet to determine how long Smith had been bound or whether she had been tortured, Chittenden County State’s Attorney T. J. Donovan said after Tuesday’s arraignment.

Burlington police searching the Snow Bowl found Pazos on Oct. 23 asleep in a storage shed.

Officers said they found him with a hunting knife, a hatchet and a replica handgun. In his backpack they said they found items including a laptop and a HowardCenter first-aid kit. Pazos wore a plastic cover over his clothes, held together with distinctive duct tape similar to the kind used to bind Smith, police said.

Pazos admitted to breaking into the Snow Bowl to seek shelter from a storm, court papers said.

Pazos said he hitchhiked to Middlebury and had been in the area for about three weeks, although a surveillance camera recorded Pazos on Oct. 13 entering the Cumberland Farms store on Riverside Avenue in Burlington, according to court papers.

Pazos lived in an encampment in the woods behind the store, police said. At the encampment, police said they found rope, a stun gun and a Burlington police incident report naming Pazos as the complainant.

Pazos told police he knew Smith, met her once at the Fletcher Free Library, communicated with her on Facebook and had been to her house “once or twice,” according to court papers.

Pazos accessed the Internet on his laptop via unsecured wireless networks, police said. He accessed a network in Burlington a day or two before Smith was killed, and accessed a network in Middlebury on Oct. 15, according to court papers.

That same day, three days before a co-worker found Smith’s body, Pazos searched Google for “Police blotter,” “Burlington Vermont crime rates” and “Smith,” according to court papers.

Two days later, he searched the Burlington Free Press obituaries and cops and court section, along with Google, for “Kathleen Smith, Vermont” and “Kathleen Smith, Howard Center, Vermont,” court papers said.

Authorities believe Pazos last communicated with Smith on Facebook over the summer, and said they are unsure what triggered the alleged slaying in October.

Pazos is scheduled to appear again in court in about two months.

Vt. Police: Body Is Missing 78-Year-Old Woman's

WATERBURY, Vt. (Oct. 5) -- The curious disappearance of a 78-year-old grandmother is now a murder mystery: A body found in the woods by two bird hunters has been identified as hers, and police Tuesday called it a homicide.

Investigators used dental records to identify the remains of Pat O'Hagan, a vibrant widow who lived alone in rural Sheffield, a town of about 700 residents in Vermont's verdant northeastern corner that has no stores or stoplights. O'Hagan, who had nine grandchildren, was reported missing Sept. 11 after not appearing for a date with a friend to go to a rug-hooking session.

Tightlipped police investigators, who have said O'Hagan was forcibly abducted, said Tuesday they know the cause of death but won't divulge it, saying they want to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

They aren't sure where O'Hagan died, said Maj. Edward Ledo, chief of the state police's criminal investigations bureau, who announced the positive identification Tuesday but wouldn't comment on the condition of the body or whether there were suspects.

"This turns the investigation into a new phase," Ledo said. "The fact that her body was found is a start, and it's a good turn."

About 250 interviews have been conducted, and they are continuing, as is analysis of crime scene evidence recovered from the wooded area in Wheelock where the body was found Sunday, about 10 miles from O'Hagan's home. Crime scene investigators were still working the scene Tuesday.

Ledo wouldn't say how long the body had been there and said police don't know whether O'Hagan died at the spot or her body was moved there.

Police have said all along there was no reason to suspect O'Hagan wandered off on her own, but they won't say what led them to conclude she'd been "forcibly removed" from her home.

Her killer or killers are on the loose, Ledo said.

"At this point in time, someone is responsible for the murder of a 78-year-old woman, and they're still at large," Ledo said. "People should take precautions, as they normally should."

O'Hagan's five adult children, who have been fixtures at police briefings about her disappearance, were absent Tuesday when Ledo gave his briefing. Ledo read a statement on their behalf in which they called it "impossible to comprehend why someone would harm her."

"Now that Pat's been found, our family's hopeful that someone will provide information that will lead to the person or persons responsible for her murder and justice will be served," he said.

O'Hagan, who moved to Vermont 15 years ago from Chelmsford, Mass., was an active member of her town, serving as president of the Sheffield Historical Society, working a church's annual chicken dinner and volunteering at a food pantry.

She sometimes camped out alone and was an active kayaker.

The news about the discovery of her body hit Sheffield residents hard.

"We're just all very sad," said 47-year-old Greg Bryant, who worked with her at the food pantry. "There's a huge hole in the community. It's a small community, and she was a big part of it."

Teacher Jailed For Allegedly Sleeping With Student... A THIRD TIME!

WATERBURY CENTER, Vt. -- A high school teacher police say had sex with a student is being held without bail after allegedly having sex with her again.

John Buttura, 54, of Waterbury Center, was first arrested in April on charges of having sex with a 16-year-old Twinfield Union High School student. He was arrested again in May for allegedly contacting her on the Internet against a judge's order.

On Sunday, he was arrested for a third time after police said the girl's father called them with a tip.

Buttura, who taught technology and shop classes at Twinfield Union High School, now faces four additional misdemeanor charges accusing him of having sex with the victim again last week and contacting her on three other occasions.

Buttura pleaded not guilty to all four of the additional misdemeanor charges, as well as the previous misdemeanor charge and original felony charge, but the judge ordered him held without bail.

The court papers show that police first uncovered the relationship in April when the student's father confronted Buttura at the school.

The student told investigators Buttura asked her if she wanted him to "cross the line" and, according to court papers, she told police he said he was "willing to." Police said Buttura later admitted to the relationship saying it was "wrong."

If convicted, Buttura could face more than seven years in prison. Police said Buttura was suspended from Twinfield union after his first arrest.

Case Against Nanny Goes National

SOUTH HERO, Vt. -- Vermont State Police say their case against accused child sex offender nanny Donald Shepherd is growing to a national scale, encompassing various cities across the country where he worked watching people's children.

Detectives in the state's Unit for Special Investigations told WPTZ.com Shepherd, now 23, worked as a nanny since he was 18 years old and often advertised his services on nanny sites to go from job to job. Police said he worked in 16 cities across the country, spanning from Oak Harbor, Wash., in the west to Washington, D.C. in the east.

Police said he used various nanny placement Web sites and agencies to get the jobs, adding that some of the agencies have reported suspicions that he may have pedophile tendencies.

Detectives also told WPTZ.com they have been in touch with Shepherd's father, who worked as a clown at children's parties in Florida, and said he is cooperating with the investigation. Police, who will not name Shepherd's father due to his cooperation with the investigation, said Shepherd's father denied claims by Shepherd that his father took him to children's events, where Shepherd photographed children.

Police said they expect more molestation cases to surface surrounding Shepherd and are in the process of reaching out to law enforcement agencies across the country.

Shepherd was arrested last week and faces a slew of child sex charges in connection with the alleged molestation of a young boy be was watching in South Hero.

Last week, detectives said they were investigating whether Shepherd abused other children in Vermont, but said Wednesday they do not believe he molested any other children in Vermont.

"The fact that he was actively seeking young children is what's most disturbing about this," said Vermont State Police Detective Ben Katz last week.

Shepherd told officers he uses several aliases including: Parker Wilder, Donald Shepherd, Douglas Shepherd and Jonathan Shepherd. There could be other aliases.

Several online vigilantes have been tracking Shepherd's Internet activities since 2006. One Web site claims Shepherd used the screen name "emovocals" and is a member of several Web sites for pedophiles. The Web site also warns that Shepherd works as a nanny, advertising his services online.

Shepherd sought work in places where he'd have access to children, according to investigators. He applied for a job as a substitute teacher in South Hero's Folsom School. Shepherd was placed on a list of subs. But Shepherd was never called, according to the school superintendent. Shepherd had to pass a background check for the job.

Detectives seized a computer and electronics from Shepherd. Investigators with the state's computer crime unit will review the evidence and Shepherd's online history.

Police said they expect more charges once forensic examinations of Shepherd's digital devices are complete.

Previous Stories:

June 18, 2009: Male Nanny Pleads Not Guilty To Child Sex Charges

Coroner Says Mia Farrow's Brother Patrick Farrow Shot Himself

R.I.P., Patrick..

LA Times -Two days after Mia Farrow's brother Patrick Farrow was discovered dead in his Vermont art gallery, the coroner's report has been released.

The findings: He died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

"These findings are consistent with evidence found during the investigation," Sgt. Tara Thomas, spokeswoman for the Vermont State Police, told People.

"Mr. Farrow's wife contacted 911 upon discovering her husband unresponsive in their home."

Farrow lived with his wife, artist Susan Farrow, in Castleton, on the New York-Vermont border.

Mia and Robert were the children of Maureen O'Sullivan (who played Jane to Johnny Weissmuller's "Tarzan") and director John Farrow.

Sculptor Patrick Farrow Dead at 66‎

CASTLETON, Vt. -- The brother of actress Mia Farrow has been found dead in his art gallery, and police said Tuesday his death is suspicious.

Sculptor Patrick Farrow, 66, was found late Monday by police responding to an emergency call from the Farrow Gallery in Castleton, a small town near the New York border. A woman there had called asking for help.

An autopsy was planned to determine the cause of Farrow's death. Police said they wouldn't release additional information until it was complete.

State police Lt. Timothy Oliver called Farrow's death suspicious in a written statement Tuesday. Oliver, who didn't respond to telephone calls on the case, told WPTZ-TV that police don't suspect foul play, but he said there were some things out of the ordinary at the scene; he didn't elaborate.

Farrow, a professional sculptor for more than 35 years, operated out of a converted church building. The Farrow Gallery sells jewelry and mixed-media works of art, according to its Web site. The gallery is owned and operated by Farrow and his wife, artist Susan Farrow.

Mia Farrow, whose movies include "Rosemary's Baby," "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors," is the former longtime companion of director Woody Allen. Their relationship ended in scandal and New York tabloid headlines in 1992, when she found out he was having an affair with her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, then 22.

Farrow is the daughter of director John Farrow and actress Maureen O'Sullivan.

David Schilling, an assistant to Mia Farrow's manager, Laura Berwick, said late Tuesday he had just heard of Patrick Farrow's death. He had no immediate comment on it.

Last year, a nephew of Mia Farrow and Patrick Farrow who had spent nearly 20 years in the Army was killed in Iraq.

Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene, 37, died of injuries suffered in an incident in Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense, which gave no other details about his death except to say it was under investigation.

Patrick Farrow told The Associated Press after his nephew's May 25, 2008, death he felt as though he had been "kicked in the stomach."

"I've been opposed to this war since the beginning," Farrow said then. "This lying Bush administration has gotten into this thing that has now killed my nephew. It's up close and personal, and I am deeply angry."