Family dog also killed

One of the men who died in a Sunday morning domestic altercation in St. Johnsbury was the former partner of the woman who lives in the 16 Cottage St. home, state police said Monday evening. The other man was her son.

Autopsies have been completed on the two men who died in an altercation. They are identified as:

• Ben Lyons, 21, a resident of the home at 16 Cottage St. where the incident occurred. He died Sunday afternoon at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner’s Office identified his cause of death as a stab wound to the neck, and the manner of death was homicide.
  

• Nicholas Johnson, 42, who had no fixed address and most recently was living in the St. Johnsbury area. He died at the scene Sunday morning. The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office identified his cause of death as a gunshot wound, and the manner of death was homicide.

Two other people who live in the Cottage Street home were injured:

Patrick Mayhew, 33, suffered serious but non-life-threatening knife wounds. He was treated at Dartmouth Hitchcock and discharged late Sunday.
Jennifer Bradley, 44, received minor injuries and was not hospitalized. She is Mayhew’s wife, Lyons’ mother, and the former partner of Johnson.

Two children between the ages of 12-18 also were in the home at the time of the incident but were not physically harmed. The family’s two dogs, Wilson and Sage, also were attacked. Wilson died at a local animal hospital; Sage remains in critical condition at a canine trauma center in Massachusetts.

The Vermont State Police’s investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing. Detectives continue to canvass the area, speak with witnesses and collect evidence. The Crime Scene Search Team has completed processing the scene.

Additional investigative work and further interviews are expected in the coming days. VSP is working closely with the Caledonia County State’s Attorney’s Office on this case. The St. Johnsbury Police Department is assisting.