BURLINGTON — A state judge found probable cause Friday to charge a Bradford man with the gruesome killing of his friend and the unlawful disposal of the body in January.

James D. Nickles Jr., 42, is now facing a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Corey Crooker, 43, of Bradford, according to records in Vermont Superior Court in Chelsea.

Judge Daniel Richardson also found probable cause for a felony charge of unauthorized removal and disposal of a body without a state permit and with a misdemeanor count of false information to Vermont State Police.

Orange County State’s Attorney Colin Seaman asked for an arrest warrant for Nickles. He is in federal custody on gun and drug charges from a state police raid on Feb. 4 at his home at 660 Old Post Road in Bradford.

Richardson also agreed with a second request by Seaman that Nickles be held without bail pending his first hearing in Vermont Superior Court.

The judge also imposed strict conditions for Nickles, including staying away from and having no contact with several potential witnesses and family members. They include Salwa Crooker, Diane and Thomas Cobb, Alisha Wedge and Lisa Akey.

Three of the charges against Nickles mirror much of the four charges filed in state court against the suspect’s live-in girlfriend, Lisa Akey, 41, of Bradford on Thursday.

Aikey pleaded not guilty to obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact in the second-degree murder of Crooker. She was ordered held for lack of $25,000 bail.

Akey also denied two other charges that Nickles now faces: a felony charge of unauthorized removal of a body without a permit and a misdemeanor count of false information to state police.

Nickles is currently detained by the U.S. Marshals Service at an out-of-state facility because he is facing two federal drug and gun charges.

He has pleaded not guilty in federal court to illegal possession of two firearms as a three-time convicted felon on Feb. 4 when state police conducted a court-ordered search at his home.

Nickles also has denied illegal possession of the two firearms — a 12-gauge Remington Supermag shotgun and a .40-caliber Taurus Tactical handgun — also on Feb. 4 while being an unlawful user of controlled substances.

He is due back in federal court in Burlington for a hearing on Monday on his request for pre-trial release so he can go to a drug rehab program in Wallingford.

Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle will consider the defense request, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office opposes.

“Defendant James Nickles confessed to killing a man at his Bradford residence on or about Jan. 14, 2025, using a .40-caliber Taurus Tactical handgun,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt said in opposing the defendant’s motion.

It is unclear what impact the filing of the state charges and the request to hold without bail will have on the federal hearing on Monday.

The Crooker death marks at least the ninth reported homicide in Vermont in 2025.

Seaman charged Nickles with the unlawful intentional killing of Crooker on about Jan. 14.

Seaman also charged Nickles with removing Crooker’s body from the Nickles/Akey residence and burning it without a state permit.

The false information to state police charge stems from Nickles and Akey both telling investigators during a court-ordered search on Feb. 4 that Crooker had been picked up from the residence by an unknown woman in an SUV in January, court records show.

The false information was designed to implicate somebody else and deflect the investigation away from the actual details, Seaman charged.

During the search at the house investigators found two guns, including the possible homicide weapon, suspected bones and bone fragments in an exterior burn pile and a missing person flier for Crooker on the dresser in the master bedroom of the home, new federal court records show.

There also was a sign that said, “No Trespassing, we’re tired of hiding the bodies,” in the master bedroom, police reported.

Nickles, if convicted, faces 20 years to life on the second-degree murder charge. He also faces up to 6 years and $2,000 in fines if convicted on the other two charges.

The basis for the three charges against Nickles is outlined in the same 27-page affidavit filed by Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. Isaac Merriam the four charges in Akey’s case.

Detective Sgt. Lyle Decker spoke to a confidential informant (CI) that said he learned “Nickles shot Crooker with 2 shots to the head and a shotgun blast to the chest,” Merriam wrote. The CI said Nickles and Akey burned the body and dismembered it.

The investigation indicated the body was burned for three days and the fire was fueled with wood and gasoline, Merriam said. He said reports also indicated Crooker had come to the house because he was “dope sick” and wanted help.

Nickles was a prime suspect early on in the grisly death of Crooker, authorities have said.

Vermont News First reported in March about reports circulating in the community that Crooker was shot and set on fire at 660 Old Post Road in Bradford. His remains were either scattered or disposed of by one or more suspects, reports indicated.

Nickles has admitted having three cocaine trafficking convictions dating back to 2011, records show.

Nickles said he and Akey were active drug users when Merriam and Detective Sgt. Seth Richardson also of the Major Crime Unit interviewed him, records show. Nickles reported he uses crack cocaine, and his current drug use was the worst in his lifetime, Merriam said in February.

Akey has 17 criminal convictions in Vermont and five in New Hampshire, Seaman said in court on Thursday. She is well known by police in both states along the Connecticut River Valley, including in Brattleboro where she was involved in several incidents.