A man has been arrested and is facing two murder charges for the deaths of two people he was living with in Whitingham, Vermont, state police said on Saturday in an update to a previously announced death investigation at the home.
Vermont state troopers said that Christopher Ellis, who is 54, is facing two counts of first-degree murder after allegedly shooting Michael Garvin, 52, and his mother, Lucy Garvin, 79.
Police first responded to the home on Route 8A at around 10 p.m. Friday, where they found the two victims dead, launching a suspicious death investigation, a news release said. The response was prompted after a relative, who was unable to get into contact with the victims, went to their home and found them dead, troopers said.
According to court papers prepared by detectives, Ellis is accused of shooting the Garvins earlier in the week and then stealing Michael Garvin's pickup truck. The truck was found, with Ellis inside, by the Brattleboro Police Department, authorities said.
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Ellis is also facing a count of operating a vehicle without the owner's consent. He is expected in court for an arraignment on his charges at 12:30 p.m. in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Brattleboro.
State police are working with the Windham County State's Attorney's Office on the case.
The Garvin home is still being processed by the Crime Scene Search Team, and the bodies of the victims are expected to be taken to the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington for autopsies.
Additional details, including a possible motive, have not been released.
