Suspect in murder of three family members in Pawlet denies charges and is being held without bail

RUTLAND — A Granville, New York, man accused of killing three family members in Pawlet last month appeared via video from a Rutland jail Thursday afternoon to be arraigned on three counts of aggravated murder.

Brian Crossman Jr., 22, appeared from a prison conference room wearing red prison uniform with his head bowed and his hands clasped during most of the three-minute hearing in Rutland County Superior Criminal Court. He said nothing as his lawyer entered a plea of ​​innocence on his behalf.

According to charging documents, Crossman fatally shot his father, 46-year-old Brian Crossman Sr.; his stepmother, 41-year-old Erica (Pawlusiak) Crossman; and his stepbrother, 13-year-old Colin Taft.

Vermont State Police said the killings occurred early on the morning of Sept. 15 at a family home on Route 133 in Pawlet that Brian Crossman Sr. lived with his wife and stepson.

The younger Crossman was arrested by New York State Police on September 20 and has been in custody since then. At a court appearance last week in Warren County, New York, he agreed to waive extradition to Vermont.

At arraignment, Judge Cortland Corsones granted a request from Rutland County Prosecutor Ian Sullivan to hold Crossman in jail without bail, at least until another hearing in the case.

Crossman’s actions in committing the three murders demonstrated a “sustained and vicious form of violence against his victims,” ​​Sullivan told the judge.

Attorney Christopher Davis, who represents Crossman, did not dispute the prosecutor’s request to hold his client without bail.

Corsones called for a hearing to be scheduled soon to examine the strength of the case and determine whether Crossman will remain in prison while the case against him is pending.

Several family members of the victims attended Thursday’s hearing and declined to comment following the proceedings

Each aggravated murder charge carries the possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to charging documents, the younger Crossman’s allegedly inconsistent statements, as well as “significant evidence” obtained from digital evidence and other interviews, led to his arrest.

According to court documents, family members had also expressed concerns about his mental health. Charging documents indicate that Brian Crossman Jr.’s mother, who lives in Granville, told investigators that she had sought inpatient psychiatric treatment for him in the past.

His mother told investigators that about two years ago she noticed his “behavior began to escalate,” court records say. “These behaviors included him talking to himself, giving the impression that he was having a conversation with himself in his mind.”

“Crossman Jr.’s mental stability appeared to fluctuate with ups and downs,” a state police investigator wrote. “He was described as being very erratic for a moment and then appearing to get out of the situation a short time later.”

According to Vermont State Police, Crossman called police just before 4 a.m. on Sept. 15 and said he had found the bodies of three of his family members dead from gunshot wounds at their home in Pawlet.

Shortly after the call, he met with police in the Wells Village School parking lot, and an arriving officer found him wearing blood-stained clothing, the documents say.

The younger Crossman had stayed with his father this weekend because his mother, with whom he lives in Granville, was away for a few days. According to a police affidavit filed in the case, he told investigators he discovered the bodies after a walk.

Crossman was taken to the state police barracks in Rutland where evidence was collected, including his cellphone, charging documents say.

“Investigators attempted to interview Crossman Jr.,” the documents continued. “Crossman Jr. advised that he did not want to speak to investigators without an attorney present. No questions were asked of Crossman Jr.”

Questions about custody

In the days following the killings, Vermont State Police released little public information about their investigation, other than confirming that three people were killed. On Sept. 17, state police released the names of the victims in a brief update and said no one was in custody. No suspect was mentioned, embarrassing residents of the small southern Rutland County town.

Maj. Dan Trudeau, head of the state police criminal division, said in an interview last week that Crossman later left the barracks with his mother on Sept. 15, the day of the killings, before criminal charges were filed.

“We held him for a while and did the investigation to get more information, but at the end of the day we didn’t feel like we were at a point where we could hold him longer and not charge him.” said Trudeau.

“We don’t have to like it, but in the end I tell everyone, I tell my people, my friends and the media, it’s not what you think, it’s what you can prove,” Trudeau said. “Sometimes you have to do a little more research before you have proof.”

According to charging documents filed Sept. 20, the Glens Falls (New York) Police Department was called to Glens Falls Hospital late in the evening of Sept. 15 to “assist with a psychiatric commitment” for Crossman.

“Brian went to the hospital alone and was examined and later triaged by hospital staff,” the filing states.

On Sept. 20, Rutland judge Corsones approved the arrest warrant for Crossman in the three Vermont murder cases, court records show.

“I know he was in a hospital in Glens Falls,” Trudeau said of Crossman, adding that police on Sept. 20 “had the understanding that he would likely be released that day.”

Asked whether Crossman’s firing on September 20 prompted police to intervene and make the arrest that day, Trudeau said that was not necessarily the case.

“The relief that he is in a facility, wherever it was, comforted us, but it really comes down to fortunate timing,” he said

“Just because you have an inkling that a person is going to leave the hospital in a certain period of time doesn’t really mean that they will,” Trudeau added. “We are still at it, trying to find a criminal offense in an affidavit approved by a judge since he left Rutland.”

Victims remembered

Last Friday and weekend services were held by Erica and Brian Crossman Sr. and Colin Taft.

Erica Crossman was born in Rutland and graduated from Fair Haven Union High School in 2002, according to her obituary. She married Brian Crossman Sr. in June.

She was an employee of Green Mountain Power and held various positions there during her 20 years. “She spent her free time hunting, fishing and tending to her flowers,” the obituary said.

Brian Crossman Sr. was also a long-time employee of Green Mountain Power, serving as a lineman. In Pawlet, he was a member of the city’s election board.

“Brian Crossman was a friend and neighbor, a hard-working community member who joined the Pawlet Selectboard just this year,” the Selectboard wrote in a statement following his death.

Green Mountain Power issued a statement following the deaths of Erica and Brian Crossman Sr.

“We are devastated by this unimaginable loss,” the statement said.

“Erica and Brian were beloved members of our team, and their deaths left us all shocked and saddened,” the statement continued. “They were more than just colleagues; They were an integral part of GMP and brought their unique talents, kindness and positive energy to everything they did.”

According to his obituary, Taft enjoyed spending time outdoors and with his family, who lived in and near Springfield, Vt., where services were held, and in Rutland County.

“Fishing was one of his favorite pastimes, along with hunting, going to the race track and working on a race car with his father,” the obituary states. “He adored his older brother Luke and treasured any time they were able to spend together.”