Burlington City Hall Park fatal beating victim hit 21 times after killers got bad information
Vemont News First
A Burlington man, who died from injuries from a mob assault near Burlington City Hall Park last month, was punched, kicked and stomped at least 21 times in less than two minutes, according to the city police investigation.
And the mob incorrectly targeted the wrong person after getting bad information about an earlier assault, a source told Vermont News First (VNF).
The group had been told Scott Kastner, 42, was involved in an earlier attack on a woman, but in reality it was his girlfriend that reportedly assaulted the woman, VNF learned from a source familiar with the police investigation.
On Tuesday, Isaiah “Zay” Argro, 26, of Queens, N.Y. and Karson Taylor, 16, of South Burlington are due in Vermont Superior Court charged in the fatal Aug. 11 daytime beating of Kastner, a Pittsfield, Mass. native.
The incident was reported about 1:35 p.m. in an alley between Church Street and Burlington City Hall Park.
Vermont News First reported over the weekend that they were facing adult charges of second-degree murder in connection with the fatal assault on Aug. 11.
Burlington Police said they arrested Argro at a residence in the Hillside section of Shelburne on Friday night and caught Taylor at a nightclub on Williston Road in South Burlington early Saturday.
Kastner died five days after the vicious attack from complications due to blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Wednesday, police said.
Burlington Police also caught three juveniles, believed to be about 14 to 16 years-old, fleeing from the scene in an alley between Church Street and Burlington City Hall Park.
Vermont News First has learned over the Labor Day weekend several new pieces of information about the homicide case. They include:
— At least one of the juveniles took out his cellphone and captured the brutal attack on Kastner on video. Security cameras near City Hall also captured the assault.
— The beating stemmed from a report – that proved false — that Kastner earlier had struck Taylor’s mother, Katie Bollman, over a $400 dispute and the Aug. 11th incident was retaliation.
— Taylor’s mother, Bollman, reportedly had actually been hit by Kastner’s girlfriend, Alisha Crosby, 41, instead, according to a source that is aware of the investigation, but not authorized to speak about it.
— Argro and Karson Taylor both displayed firearms during the confrontation, but no known shots were fired.
— Argro, also known as Isaiah Argo, is from New York where he has a criminal record, including an intended murder charge, police said.
Kastner became encircled by five people, including Argro, Taylor and three juveniles, roughly ages 14 to 16, and had his chances of escape further cut off in part by two buildings hosting City Hall and Burlington City Arts, a police spokesperson said.
Kastner and Crosby eventually left the park area, but about 2 ½ hours later Burlington Rescue responded to College and St. Paul Streets for a man having medical issues, including an inability to see, police said.
He was taken to UVM Medical Center, where he was treated for a brain bleed and other injuries as his condition worsened, officials said. Kastner died at 8:59 a.m. Aug. 16, according to the public death certificate issued by the state.
Interim Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke has said officers — both the uniform and detective divisions — worked hard over the past three weeks to bring the case to resolution. Detective Cpl. Zachary Beal is the lead investigator.
Kastner’s funeral is set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday Sept. 6 at Dwyer-Wellington Funeral Home, 220 East Street, Pittsfield MA.
Two of the victim’s children, ages 5 and 6, were living with Kastner in Burlington. Two others, ages 17 and 18, are living in Massachusetts, the victim’s brother Shaun Kastner said.
