The jury needed just over 3 hours before convicting Dominque “Wop” Troupe, 37, of Bay Road on all four  felony charges he faced during the six-day trial.

By Mike Donoghue

RUTLAND – A Colchester man has been convicted in U.S. District Court in Rutland on four drug, gun and robbery charges stemming from an investigation into the fatal shooting of a narcotics dealer at a Franklin County home two years ago.

The jury needed just over 3 hours before convicting Dominque “Wop” Troupe, 37, of Bay Road on all four  felony charges he faced during the six-day trial.

Troupe faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of life.

After the foreperson announced the verdict Monday afternoon, the defense asked for a polling of the jurors individually. Each reported Troupe guilty on all counts.

Chief Federal Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford agreed to give defense lawyer Chandler Matson of Stowe time to consider filing post-trial motions. 

Troupe had denied all four counts, including a charge of conspiring with one of his former girlfriends, Jayme Sartelle, 42, of Colchester and Misti-Lyn Morin, 44, and her housemate, Eric Raymond, 33, of Swanton to distribute crack cocaine between July 2021 and at least Feb. 2, 2022 – the day of the fatal shooting.

Elijah Oliver, 22, of Haverhill, Mass. was found dead from two gunshots inside the residence at 45 First St. in Swanton about 4:35 a.m. Feb. 2, 2022, state police said.

Nobody has been charged in Vermont Superior Court with the killing of Oliver, who was identified as a member of the Gangsta Disciples gang by his hometown newspaper.  

Raymond has admitted he fired one of the shots, while an unidentified companion of Troupe fired the other shot, records show.  Oliver was shot by two different caliber handguns, investigators have said.

A federal grand jury also charged Raymond and Troupe for one count of carrying a firearm on Feb. 2, 2022 while furthering their drug trafficking and the gun was unlawfully discharged that day.

Raymond and Troupe and others conspired to commit a robbery and “threaten physical violence to persons and property in furtherance of robbery” by taking drugs, money and personal property by actual or threatened force on Feb. 2, 2022, the indictment said.

Besides convicting Troupe on all four counts, the jurors made a factual finding that a firearm was discharged during a drug trafficking offense. 

The jurors also said they found Troupe was part of a drug conspiracy that involved more than 500 grams of cocaine (more than 17 ounces) – which will mean a possible enhanced penalty at sentencing.

Raymond has pleaded guilty to four felonies and is due for sentencing this month.

At least nine people were in the single-family residence of Crystal Ahl and Elvin Sweet at the time of the fatal shooting, state police said.  Ahl, 44, was among the witnesses to take the stand early last week.  

Troupe, who also uses the street name “Juice,” and Raymond were the main people behind the drug trafficking conspiracy, records maintain.

The mothers of both Oliver and Troupe were in the courtroom for the verdict.

The government presented 22 witnesses, including the lead investigator State Police Detective Sgt. Isaac Merriam, three members of the Vermont Drug Task Force and several people involved in illegal drug trafficking.

The final witness was Dr. Elizabeth Bundock, Vermont’s chief medical examiner, who conducted the autopsy on Oliver. 

Troupe did not take the witness stand and opted not to have any witnesses testify on his behalf.

The Vermont State Police, the Vermont Drug Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives combined for the sweeping investigation.

Troupe also has denied a charge of possession with intent to distribute nearly a half-pound of crack cocaine in September 2022, records show.

The crack cocaine was found in his vehicle when the Vermont Drug Task Force arrested him in the current case as he got off a Lake Champlain ferry in Grand Isle, court records show.

Troupe was a primary source of supply for crack cocaine being sold at the River Street residence, Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher has said in court records.

Drescher and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Turner prosecuted the case. 

Court records note multiple witnesses have indicated Oliver was a rival drug dealer operating out of the First Street residence and his business was impacting the profits of Troupe, Raymond, Morin and Jesse L. Sweet, 28, of Swanton.

Troupe, Sweet and others implemented a plan to carry out an armed robbery of Oliver, seeking to steal drugs and money, court papers note.  Sweet reportedly backed out of the holdup, but witnesses reported Troupe drove at least one robber to Oliver’s home to execute the armed robbery, Drescher wrote. 

“The evidence against Raymond includes admissions from those with whom he sold cocaine that the shooting victim’s drug business was eating into Raymond’s,” Drescher has indicated in court papers.

“Witnesses also recount that Raymond made admissions relating to his involvement in the shooting and admonishing others with information about the shooting not to talk about it,” Drescher said at the time.

Authorities have maintained Troupe is a dangerous and untruthful defendant.  Troupe, who also has traveled internationally, is a risk to flee, officials have said. 

Raymond had left his residence at 361 North River Street during the early morning hours of Feb. 2, 2022 despite a court order requiring him to observe a curfew, Drescher noted.  He added Raymond went to the First Street residence where the fatal shooting happened and while en route back to North River Street he was picked up by Sweet.

Sweet also had been charged earlier as part of the sweeping investigation. Court records note that Sweet was aware of the planned robbery and he disabled a video surveillance system at 45 First Street.

Sweet filed a signed plea agreement with the prosecution on Dec. 13, 2022 —  the same day the new 10-count indictment was announced.

The fatal shooting happened during a robbery and Eric Raymond was trying to protect his drug-selling turf, a federal prosecutor has said.  He shared with Morin the home at 361 North River Street.

Raymond was among those to flee the shooting before Swanton Village Police and the U.S. Border Patrol could arrive, court records indicate.

Morin has pleaded guilty in federal court to 5 felony charges that were filed as part of the investigation into an out-of-state gang member getting fatally shot at a Swanton home.

Morin has admitted she was among at least four people to willfully conspire to distribute crack cocaine between July 2021 and February 2022 and that she knowingly allowed her residence at 361 River Street to be used as a “Crack House” to help distribute the drug between April 2021 and Feb. 2, 2022.

Morin also admitted to three counts of knowingly possessing various firearms while being an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance.  The cases involved a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol on July 4, 2021, a multi-caliber receiver assembled as an AM-15 semi-automatic assault-style rifle on June 19, 2020 and a Berretta 9-mm short (.380) semi-automatic pistol on Feb. 2, 2022 — the day the homicide was reported.

Morin is due for sentencing this month.

Drescher said Morin managed or controlled 361 River Street in Swanton and used it to help conspirators to distribute crack cocaine.  He said if her case had gone to trial several witnesses would have outlined Morin’s conduct and her illegal possession of firearms.