A man was arrested after allegedly killing his father, stepmother and her teenage son in their Vermont home earlier this week — and then calling police to report the gruesome crime, authorities said.
Brian Crossman Jr., 22, is accused of fatally shooting his father and local official Brian Crossman, 46, his wife Erica, 41, and her 13-year-old son Colin Taft in the home they shared in the rural town of Pawlet, near the New York state line on Sunday morning, Vermont State Police said.
The Granville, New York resident was taken into custody by New York State Police on Friday and charged with three counts of aggravated murder.
He appeared in court in Warren County Court in Lake George, where he was ordered held without bail pending extradition to Vermont, officials said.
Brian Crossman was found dead of gunshots to the head and torso, his wife from at least one shot to the head and her teenager from “multiple gunshot wounds” in their blood-soaked home Sunday morning. A firearm and shell casings were recovered.
Police say Crossman Jr. Called 911 to report the incident, telling police he went for a walk and when he returned he found his family murdered. WCAX reported. However, investigators soon discovered inconsistencies in the 22-year-old’s story.
The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
Family members told the newspaper that Crossman Jr. had a difficult relationship with his father, who had just been elected to the Pawlet Select Board.
He had a learning disability, a history of mental health problems and a history of aggressive episodes, the family members said.
Police also said a search of Crossman Jr.’s phone. uncovered searches linked to serial killers and cold case murders.
Crossman Jr.’s father and wife were married in June at their picturesque farm, which had been in the family for generations, neighbors said.
“He was cleaning it up and working on the farm. I think he was just trying to make a fresh start and run the family farm. And yes, this is just the last thing I expected,” a family member told the Bennington Banner.
