Killings happened at home of selectboard member, family member a person of interest

Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First

PAWLET – Vermont State Police continued on Monday to investigate the suspected homicide of three family members at the home of a new town selectboard member on Vermont 133 in Pawlet early Sunday.

State Police said the names of the shooting victims – believed to be an adult couple and a child – were still being withheld Monday pending competition of the three autopsies.

Investigators were dealing with a person of interest – believed to be a family member – on Sunday. Nobody has been jailed and no known charges have been filed as of Monday morning.

Brian Crossman, who was elected to the Pawlet Selectboard in March for a one-year term, is an owner of the property at 2733 Vermont 133, records show. He was appointed by the Selectboard to serve as the liaison to the Town Highway Department and for Buildings and Development, the Pawlet website said.

Pawlet Town Clerk Deb Hawkins said in an email Monday morning that the Pawlet Municipal Offices would be closed today. It was unknown if the regular Selectboard meeting scheduled for Tuesday night would be postponed. The chair and vice chairman did not respond to phone calls.

The first emergency 911 call was received about 3:45 a.m. for the shooting along the Vermont-New York border – about 25 miles southwest of Rutland City.

New York State Police – which has 24-hour on-duty patrol coverage – was first to arrive at the shooting scene in the rural community that borders Granville, N.Y., officials said.

The initial call reported a possibly suspicious person, but as Vermont State Police investigators were called out, they found a bloody scene with three bodies in the rural community of about 1,400 residents, a spokesman said.

The victims were found inside the white two-story older home near Kelley Hill Road. A sign with the family name “Crossman” was visible on the side of the house between a door and a double window. Police used yellow crime scene tape to help seal off the property.

Emergency First Responders from the area also were summoned to offer help, police said.

Rutland County State’s Attorney Ian Sullivan confirmed his office is working closely with state police.

Responding police, after confirming the bodies inside the house, backed away and waited to obtain a search warrant from a state judge to ensure the lawful collection of evidence.

Officials said the investigation is in its preliminary stages and involves members of the Vermont State Police uniform division, the Major Crime Unit, the detective bureau, the Crime Scene Search Team and victim services.

The plan was for crime scene search team to process the scene before the bodies would be taken to the office of Vermont’s Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington, state police spokesman Adam Silverman said Sunday. Autopsies will help determine the cause and manner
of death, he said.

Silverman said the initial theory by detectives indicates the crime is an isolated event with no identified threat to the community. It was unclear the basis for detectives saying there was no apparent threat.

Authorities set up a command post at the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Station on Vermont 133 after the crime was reported. Police said they were plagued by poor cell phone service in the area.

Anyone with information that could assist investigators in this case should call the Vermont State Police in Rutland at (802) 773-9101.