By Guy Page

The Vermont State Police has made two arrests arising from the fatal shooting of Jeffrey Caron, 42, of Barre, whose body was found last week in Plainfield.

Kyle Bressette, 35, of Barre was taken into custody on a charge of second-degree murder. Chris Relation, 51, of Berlin faces a charge of being an accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Both men are expected to be arraigned at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Barre.

VSP’s investigation led to identifying Bressette as the suspect in the shooting, which arose from a dispute involving drugs. Investigators believe the homicide occurred on or about Oct. 24 or 25. According to the investigative findings, Relation assisted Bressette following the shooting and failed to report the incident to police.

The arrests occurred after state police obtained search warrants Monday, Oct. 30, for a home on Turner Hill Road in Berlin where Bressette and Relation were staying. The Vermont State Police Tactical Services Unit executed the warrant late Monday night. Bressette and Relation initially refused commands to leave the home and surrender to police, but after several hours, they complied and were taken into custody without further incident.

Bressette also was wanted on a pending arrest warrant for charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, aggravated operation of a vehicle without owner’s consent, operating a vehicle with a suspended license, failure to use an ignition interlock device, and petit larceny.

Bressette and Relation were ordered jailed without bail at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans pending their initial court appearances.

As reported by VDC, Caron and Jonie Bresett (no known relation to Kyle Bressette, police say) were arrested earlier this month for fentanyl dealing. Caron was released on a citation, while Bresett was lodged and then released on bail.

October homicide victims, timeline – October has seen more gun-related homicide incidents than any month in the living memory of Vermonters. With 13 hours remaining, the 10th month of 2023 has seen eight homicides – all but one of them confirmed to be caused by gunshots – in seven different incidents. Here’s a timeline with links to Chronicle coverage:

Castleton, October 5 – Honoree Fleming, 77, a retired educator and wife of novelist Ron Powers, was shot to death on a local rail trail in Castleton. Police released a sketch of the male suspect but have made no arrests. 

Newport Town, October 14 – Wilmer Rodriguez, 27, Hartford, Connecticut, died of multiple gunshot wounds in a Farrar Road home at night. State police called the killing “a targeted, isolated event.” No suspects are in custody.

Wheelock, October 16 – Gunnar Watson, a member of the Vermont National Guard, was shot at his home. There have been no arrests. Police are reportedly searching a Brownington location as part of the investigation. 

October 24-25, Albany/Eden – The bodies of two young Massachusetts men killed by gunshot, Jahim Solomon of Chicopee and Eric White of Pittsfield, were located along the Albany-Eden Road on Tuesday, Oct. 24, and Wednesday, Oct. 25. The pair’s disappearance was reported by concerned family members in Massachusetts. There have been no arrests. 

Washington, October 26 – Tanairy “Tanya” Velazquez Estrada, 23, a Fitchburg MA native who lived most recently in Barre, was found in the woods in this Orange County town. Her death is labeled as suspicious. Like White and Solomon, her disappearance was reported by concerned family members. 

Plainfield, October 27 – Accused Barre drug dealer Jeffrey Caron, 42, of Barre was found dead of a gunshot wound in the woods off Gore Road. Kyle Bressette of Barre will be arraigned for the killing today (see above).

Bristol, October 29 – Maddenn Gouveia, 16, of Shelburne died last night at UVMMC after he reportedly was shot in Bristol of 14-year-old Hussein Mohamed of Burlington, police say.