A New York man is facing three counts of murder after police say he shot and killed his father, stepmother and 13-year-old stepbrother last weekend in Vermont.
Vermont State Police obtained an arrest warrant Friday for Brian Crossman Jr., 22, of Granville, New York. After the warrant was issued, New York State Police located Crossman Jr. and took him into custody.
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Crossman Jr. made an initial appearance Friday afternoon in Warren County Court in Lake George, New York, on a charge of being a fugitive from justice. The charge relates to an arrest warrant for him obtained by the Vermont State Police on three counts of aggravated murder arising from the triple homicide of his father, stepmother and stepbrother in Pawlet.
Crossman Jr. was remanded to the Warren County Jail without bail pending another hearing in New York court next week, state police said. Arrangements for his extradition to Vermont remain pending.
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Brian Crossman, 46, a local selectboard member; his wife Erica Crossman, 41; and their son Colin Taft, 13, were found dead in their home on Route 133 in Pawlet on Sunday. All three deaths were ruled homicides.
Vermont State Police said their investigation identified "significant evidence" linking Crossman Jr. to the killings, including digital information, statements, injuries and various interviews.
Members of the Pawlet selectboard, who are elected by residents to oversee town expenditures and enact ordinances, held their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night. Crossman’s seat was vacant and there were flowers at his place at the table.
Mike Beecher, chairperson of the five-member board, read a statement: “Brian Crossman was a friend and neighbor, a hardworking community member who just this year stepped up to join the Pawlet Selectboard.
“This tragedy that struck him and his family has also hit our community hard, and we are shaken and grieving. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating loss.”
Pawlet is a town of about 1,400 people near the New York state line.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
