By Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First

Published earlier in the Caledonian-Record


The victims of a double homicide in an Orleans village apartment have been identified as a local couple.

They have tentatively been identified as Steven Luisi, 65, and Paula Broe, 61, with autopsies planned for Thursday.

The causes of the two deaths were not released, but police said a broken baseball bat and a knife were found at the scene.

Meanwhile, Cirell Brown, 23, of Orleans who moved back to Orleans County last September, pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court to two counts of second-degree murder. He also denied a felony charge of burglary into the couple’s Water Street apartment.

The daughter of the two victims, Cassie Kowalski, 41, reported she is friends with Charlene Morris, 42, mother of Cirelli Brown, state police said.  Kowalski said she had known the homicide suspect his whole life, police said.

Kowalski said she knew Brown, who had an apartment on Church Street, would visit her parents at their apartment, Detective Sgt. James Vooris said.

“They were leery of Brown because of his mental health issues,” the detective said in a court affidavit.

Both victims were found just inside the door of their apartment at the base of the stairs at the two-story residence, police said.

Judge Rory Thibault agreed Wednesday afternoon to order an inpatient psychiatric evaluation for Brown, who had been lodged overnight.

He agreed with a request by Orleans County State’s Attorney Farzana K. Leyva that Brown be held without bail.

Jessica Klein, who lives at the apartment house, called 911 to report a physical fight and said a man was using a baseball bat to hit a victim about 5 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Klein, 36, said she heard a man scream and possibly a woman also scream, police said.

The suspect’s stepmother, Amanda Ticehurst, reported she was unaware of Brown having a job or vehicle, Detective Sgt. Isaac Merriam said.

State Trooper Anthony Rice reported he found Brown inside the apartment with blood on his clothes and he was carrying a knife, police said. Rice took him into custody and he tried to resist after he was handcuffed, but was placed in a cruiser.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene to assist with the case. The property was secured overnight to await the state Crime Scene Search Team to conduct a full sweep looking for evidence.

Anyone with information is asked to call the state police barracks in Derby at (802) 334-8881.