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4th Suspect Charged in Pittsfield Murder Investigation
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Another suspect was arraigned this morning in Central Berkshire District Court as part of the ongoing investigation into the triple homicide conspiracy that has rocked the region.
David Casey, 62, of Canaan, N.Y., entered a plea of not guilty before Judge Rita Koenigs to multiple charges of accessory after the fact in the murders of David Glasser, Robert Chadwell and Edward Frampton. Casey is accused of supplying the excavation equipment used to bury the bodies of the three men.
Casey is facing three counts each of accessory after the fact for murder, for kidnapping and for intimidation of a witness.
The Berkshire District attorney's office confirmed rumors circulating for the past week that the bodies had been discovered on private property in Becket, covered over by boulders. According to court records filed last week, digging equipment was found near the scene of the burial site.
Thomas C. Doyle was appointed as Casey's defense. Bail was set by agreement at $1 million and Casey will appear for a bind over hearing on Oct. 19.
Adam Lee Hall, 34, of Pittsfield, David Chalue, 44, of Springfield and 31-year-old Caivus Veiovis (aka Roy Gutfinski) were arraigned on murder, kidnapping and witness intimidation charges on Sept. 12 in connection to slayings.
Foul Play Feared in Fate of Missing Men
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Rumors abound as tight-lipped authorities continue to investigate the disappearance of three men missing from Pittsfield since Aug. 28. David Glasser, Robert Chadwell and Edward Frampton have not been seen since late Aug. 27.
Following the extensive search of Pittsfield State Forest this weekend through Monday, the investigation has turned to repeated interviews and questioning of neighbors of the missing men and associates of Hells Angel officer Adam Lee "Leo" Hall, whose prosecution Glasser is considered to be a key witness for.
Meanwhile, unsubstantiated but persistent rumors that one or more dead bodies were recovered during the search have circulated since Monday. Variations that one, two, or all three bodies were discovered have been repeated to this reporter by more than a dozen people in different areas of Pittsfield.
Caterer Ed Lyons, who owns a cabin at Ponderosa Pine Camp Ground, very near to the area blocked off on Potter Mountain Road during the massive search, said, "The gossip going around here is they found them dead."
Jim Sweener of Pittsfield reported seeing an apparently abandoned car being towed by Sayer's Auto Wrecking out of the State Forest area during the police search on Sunday.
"It was a Ford Festiva, maybe around 1997 or 1998, green and black," said Sweener, "No plates on it."
Pittsfield Police have not responded to inquiries about a possible relationship between this car and the case of the missing men.
The rumors, however unsubstantiated, seem to reflect a growing feeling that foul play may be involved. Speculation has abounded about the possible connection between Glasser's role as a key witness in the prosecution of Hall, of Peru, who has been in custody since the afternoon of Aug. 28, and the disappearance of Glasser and his two friends.
While police and Berkshire County District Attorney David Capeless have been reticent to comment on this possibility in the press, some sources close to the missing men seem convinced that something tragic has taken place.
One of them is Robert Chadwell's brother Lester, also of Linden Street, who told The Berkshire Eagle on Monday, "We'll never hear from them again, and you can quote me on that."
Chadwell told iBerkshires he did not recognize the description of the recovered Ford from State Forest as belonging to any of the three men, nor anyone else he could think of that might be related to the case.
When asked if he knew of any frequent hangouts or spots the missing men might have been around the time they were last seen, Chadwell indicated that they tended to stick close to home. "From over there to over here," he said, indicating the apartment at 254 Linden to his own address across the street, "That's about it."
General consensus among other neighbors of the missing men, who declined to provide their names, agree that there would have been some word from or sign of one of the trio, "unless something very bad happened," as one Linden Street resident phrased it.
No neighbors, however, have publicly reported seeing anything either the night of Aug. 27 or the morning of Aug. 28 that offers any clues to the missing men's whereabouts. Police reported that the apartment at 254 Linden St. showed no sign of a struggle, though cell phones said to belong to them were found at the premises.
David Glasser is thought to be a key witness against Hall. |
Despite the fact that Hall, the reputed sergeant at arms for the Berkshire County Hells Angels, has not been officially named as a suspect, a significant amount of time and attention has been given by investigators to establishing Hall's activities leading up to the date the three men went missing.
Two individuals, who also wished not to be identified, say they had been questioned multiple times since Friday by police and detectives attached to the case about their relationship to Hall and knowledge of his whereabouts.
"That's all they asked about," said one young woman who was questioned on repeated occasions, referring to "Leo," aka Hall. "When I'd seen him, where he'd been, who he'd been with. They said they'd pulled his phone records and were putting it together."
She told iBerkshires that as far as she knew, the dispute between the missing Glasser and Hall began when Glasser stole a car part from him in 2009. Hall then allegedly lured the man to his home in Peru, where he proceeded to beat him with a baseball bat. "It's just been escalating since then."
"[Capt.] Barry and the other detectives wanted to know everything I could tell them about Hall, when I'd seen him, if I knew this person or that person seen with him," said another Pittsfield man questioned. "The whole case seems to be about him now."
Hall is currently being held without the right to bail for 60 days at the Berkshire County Jail & House of Correction. He was arraigned Tuesday on new charges of extortion and child pornography, while his trial for previous drug and assault charges begins next week. He is also facing charges of kidnapping, witness intimidation, and with trying to frame witness Glasser with a fictitious crime.
Tags: missing, Hells Angels |
New Ashford Crash Turns Fatal for Williamstown Man
Update: Frank C. Burgmaster, 52, died Wednesday of injuries sustained in the accident. NEW ASHFORD, Mass. — A Williamstown man will be charged with driving under the influence for the third time after his pickup truck collided head-on with another truck late Tuesday afternoon on Route 7. That driver was able to avoid a collision, but Burgmaster then plowed head-on into a 2009 red Toyota Tacoma driven by Savita Wheat, 22, of Pownal, Vt. |
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Tags: head-on, accident, ambulance, DUI, fatal |
Pittsfield Police Seeking Info On Three Missing Men
Above: Robert Chadwell. Below: Robert Chadwell. Both men along with Edward Framption have been reported missing. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are seeking information about three men who have been missing since Aug. 28.
David Glasser, 44, Edward Frampton,59 and Robert Chadwell,47, were reported missing from an apartment at 254 Linden Street since last Sunday, when Hurricane Irene hit the county.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts or activities of them are asked to call police at 413-448-9700.
Glasser Missing Person Info Sheet
Superior Court Briefs: August 29 - September 1
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, August 29.
Juan Gonzalez, 42, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of distribution of cocaine and two counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Gonzalez was sentenced to concurrent one year sentences at the Berkshire County House of Correction. Gonzalez had sold cocaine to an undercover police officer and conspired with others to sell drugs between March 9, 2004 and March 26, 2004.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, August 31.
Michelle Mundy, 44, of North Adams pleaded guilty to a single count of possession of naloxone and burprenoprphione and one count of possession of oxycodone.
Mundy was ordered to serve concurrent one year sentences at the Berkshire County House of Correction. She was in possession of the drugs when she was arrested on April 2, 2010.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, September 1.
Rickey Williams, 34, of Pittsfield was found guilty on single counts of trafficking in cocaine, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and two counts of drug violation in a school zone.
Williams will be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without bail pending a sentencing hearing on Sept. 6.
The charges stem from a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on July 2, 2010. Additional single counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and drug violation in a school zone were dismissed by the state.
Danielle Weed, 32, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, illegal ownership of a firearm, improper storage of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, possession of a stun gun, receiving stolen property and possession of oxycodone.
Weed was released on $500 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at her home on July 21.
Timothy Smithies, 49, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of receiving stolen property and possession of pepper spray without a firearm identification card.
Smithies was released on personal recognizance. The charges stem from an incident in Dalton on June 17.
Amber Margraf, 24, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, malicious destruction of personal property, larceny of a controlled substance, larceny of a credit card, possession of burglarious tools, attempt to commit a crime to wit; breaking and entering in the daytime, receiving stolen property, possession of pepper spray without a firearm identification card and common and notorious thief. Additionally she had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on four counts of larceny in a building.
Margraf was released on personal recognizance. The charges stem from a series of house break-ins in Dalton, Hinsdale, Lee and Pittsfield between Jan. 22 and June 17.
Bernadette Burdick, 55, of North Adams pleaded guilty to single counts of burning a dwelling house and burning personal property
Burdick was released on personal recognizance pending sentencing on Sept. 29. Burdick set fire to her apartment on Liberty Street in North Adams on August 30, 2008. The fire damaged the building items belonging to family members.
Shaun Borden, 20, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, drug violation in a school zone, conspiracy to violate drug laws, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, illegal ownership of a firearm, improper storage of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, possession of a stun gun, receiving stolen property and possession of oxycodone.
Borden was released on $500 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at him home on July 21.Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, August 29.
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