Son arrested for murder of father, stepmother and half-brother: police

A son has been arrested in the killings of his father, his father’s wife and his teenage son, who were found shot to death in their Vermont home, police said Friday.

The triple homicide was discovered early Sunday. Officers responded to a call about a “suspicious person” and the investigation led them to a home in the town of Pawlet, Vermont State Police said.

Inside, they found the three dead victims — Brian Crossman Sr., 46, who was a Pawlet government official; his wife, Erica Crossman, 41; and his son and stepson, Colin Taft, 13, officers said. They were killed early Sunday morning inside their home, police said.

Crossman Sr.’s son – Brian Crossman Jr., 23, of Granville, New York – is now charged with aggravated murder in connection with the fatal shootings of his father, stepmother and half-brother, Vermont State Police said Friday.

“The Vermont State Police investigation identified significant evidence linking Crossman Jr. to the murders, including digital information, statements, injuries and various interviews,” Vermont State Police said in a statement.

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New York State Police located Crossman Jr. and took him into custody. He is being held without bail pending an appearance before a New York judge to begin extradition proceedings to Vermont, police said.

Police have not released details about the suspected motive for the killings.

He was scheduled to appear in court in Glens Falls, New York, on Friday afternoon. It is unclear whether he currently has legal representation.

Police do not yet know when he will return to Vermont.

All three family members died of gunshot wounds and their deaths were ruled homicides by the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, police said. Crossman Sr. was shot in the head and torso, Erica Crossman was shot in the head and her son was shot multiple times, police said.

Crossman Sr. joined the Pawlet Select board this year, where he served as liaison between the city’s buildings and development and roads departments, according to the city’s website.

Pawlet Select Board Chairman Mike Beecher remembered him as a “friend and neighbor” and a “hardworking member of the community.”

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“This tragedy that has befallen him and his family has also hit our community hard, and we are shocked and grieving,” Beecher said in a statement Tuesday. “Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by this devastating loss. The City of Pawlet will work through this as we always do during difficult times, supporting each other and doing our best to keep going.”

Pawlet, a town of about 1,400 people, is located in western Vermont, bordering New York state.

Son arrested in murder of father, stepmother and half-brother: police was originally published on abcnews.go.com