The son of a Vermont town official was arrested in New York on Friday in connection to the fatal shootings of his father, his stepmother and his 13-year-old stepbrother, whose bodies were found at their home in Pawlet early Sunday in what state police are calling a triple homicide.
Brian Crossman Sr., 46, was fatally shot in the head and torso, and Erica Crossman, 41, died from a gunshot wound to the head, Vermont state police said in a news release , citing the state medical examiner’s office. Colin Taft, who was Erica’s son and Brian Sr.’s stepson, suffered multiple fatal gunshot wounds, the medical examiner said.
Authorities announced the arrest of Brian Crossman Jr., 23, who was living in Granville, New York, on Friday afternoon. He is being held without bail in New York state, pending extradition proceedings for his return to Vermont.
Crossman Jr., who had been visiting for the weekend, contacted police shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday, saying that he had discovered the bodies of his family after going for a midnight walk, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by HuffPost. The state police corporal who arranged to meet him at a nearby school said Crossman Jr.’s clothes were covered in reddish-brown stains consistent with blood.
Crossman Jr. said he was covered in blood because he had tried to drag his father’s body out of the house, the corporal said.
The bodies of Erica and Brian Crossman, and Erica's 13-year-old son Colin Taft, were found Sunday in what police are calling a triple homicide.
Police officers said they found a “significant amount of blood and bodily fluid throughout” the Crossmans’ house. Crossman Sr.’s body was lying outside a doorway, while his wife and stepson were found in two different bedrooms.
Investigators said they found a number of shotguns on the floors and on furniture throughout the house, along with different kinds of spent shotgun shells. Several firearm cabinets throughout the house and a gun safe were discovered with their doors open, according to the arrest warrant.
Members of the Crossman family, including Crossman Jr.’s sister, were avid hunters, and their Facebook pages feature a number of photos of themselves in camouflage posing beside dead game. Crossman Jr. told investigators he didn’t own any firearms himself but used to go hunting with his father.
Crossman Jr. told the police he had changed his clothes before dragging his father’s body, according to the arrest warrant. Investigators said they found another set of clothes matching Crossman Jr.’s size on the floor of the bedroom where Erica Crossman’s body was discovered. The clothes had stains consistent with blood, investigators said.
Brian and Erica Crossman had just gotten married in June, according to their Facebook posts. He was elected to the Pawlet Select Board this spring.
The board paid tribute to Crossman in a previously scheduled meeting Tuesday night , where a vase of flowers sat on the table in front of his empty seat.
Chair Mike Beecher called Crossman a “friend and a neighbor” and a “hardworking community member.”
“This tragedy that struck him and his family also hit our community very hard. We are all shaken and grieving. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating loss,” Beecher said.
A moment of silence followed.
Flowers sit on a table where slain Pawlet Select Board member Brian Crossman usually sat during meetings, Sept. 17, 2024, in Pawlet, Vermont.
Pawlet is a small town of 1,400 people, located just over the New York state line about 80 miles north of Albany.
Property records show that the Crossmans’ house sits on more than 280 acres and was purchased in January.
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