Top inset: Darren Martell Jr. Bottom inset: Roberta Martin (Vermont State Police). The suspect was seen on a porch being questioned by police at times during the search for Martin (WCAX/YouTube).
A Vermont man is accused of sexually assaulting his 82-year-old neighbor, killing her and burning her remains in the woods, authorities said.
Darren Martell Jr., 23, faces a charge of aggravated murder in the death of Roberta Martin, Vermont State Police said in a news release.
The case came to light on July 17 when Martin’s neighbors checking in on her at her Butternut Hollow Road in Enosburgh, where she lived alone, found no signs of her but evidence of a break-in. A sliding glass door was found open, an air conditioner had been taken out of a window, duct tape was found on the bedroom floor and “dolly cart” tracks from the house led to a neighboring property, VTDigger reported, citing the affidavit.
Police also found a pillow with a “red brown stain,” the St. Albans Messenger reported.
Using drones by air and police dogs on the ground, searchers combed more than 1,500 acres around Martin’s home to find the 5 foot 1 inch tall, 115-pound woman.
Her remains were found days later, on Sunday, less than a mile away from her residence off Sand Hill Road, police said in the news release.
Her body had been burned and buried, local NBC affiliate WPTZ reported, citing an affidavit.
An official cause of death has not been released.
Police said they quickly linked Martell to the murder through DNA from Martin’s body.
He was arrested after a foot chase on Monday, police said. They saw him masturbating in a cemetery, local CBS affiliate WCAX reported. He was booked into jail on lewd and lascivious conduct, authorities said.
On Thursday, while in custody on that charge, he was charged with aggravated murder in Martin’s death, police said.
Citing court documents, WPTZ reported that Martell has a violent past, including torturing animals, and has been called “psychotic” and “for sure capable of killing someone.”
Martell pleaded not guilty to the aggravated murder charge on Friday. He was held without bail in the Northwest State Correctional Facility. A status conference was set for Sept. 4, the online court docket said.
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