Pittsfield Woman Charged with Husband's Murder

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Charlene Grandson Martin, 45, entered a plea of not guilty on Monday to one charge of murder related to the stabbing death of her husband, Aurthur Martin.

Charlene Martin was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court before Judge Frederic Rutberg. Her case was continued to March 9 for a pretrial conference.

According to police reports, Martin said she and her husband were watching television when he left the room and re-entered with a knife. She allegedly told police that they were joking around when she pushed his arm away and he was struck by the knife.

Her explanation was reportedly inconsistent with the findings of the medical examiner, according to The Berkshire Eagle. Police said the couple had a history of domestic incidents and that Martin has been the "agressor." The knife was found in a closet.

Martin is being held without bail in the Berkshire County House of Correction.

Posted Feb. 8, 2009

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has determined that stabbing victim Arthur Martin bled to death.

Martin, 49, died early Saturday morning at Berkshire Medical Center. His wife, Charlene Grandson Martin, 45, is facing a murder charge in her husband's slaying.

Dr. Andrew Sexton, an associate medical examiner, conducted the autopsy on Arthur Martin on Sunday in Holyoke. The autopsy revealed that Martin bled to death as a result of a stab wound to his thigh, which cut the femoral artery. 


Posted Feb. 7, 2009

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Pittsfield woman has been charged with murder in connection with the apparent stabbing death of her husband last night.
 
Charlene Grandson Martin, 45, is being held in the Pittsfield Police lockup on $1 million bail pending arraignment Monday morning in Central Berkshire District Court in Pittsfield. She is facing one count of murder in the apparent stabbing death of her 49-year-old husband, Arthur Martin.

Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless, in a statement released this morning, said the Pittsfield Police Department received a 911 call about 11:20 Friday evening reporting a stabbing at 341 West St., Building 40. 

Police, fire and emergency medical technicians responded to the call.
 
Arthur Martin, a resident of that address, was transported to Berkshire Medical Center, suffering from an apparent stab wound. He was pronounced dead early Saturday morning. An autopsy will be conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Holyoke within the next several days.
 
The investigation is being conducted by members of the Pittsfield Police Department with assistance from the state police Crime Scene Services Section. Detectives Thomas Bowler and John Gray are the lead investigators on the case. 

Anyone who has any information pertaining to this incident is asked to call the Pittsfield Police Department at 413-448-9700.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

EPA, GE Conducting Vernal Pool Study on Housatonic River

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A pilot study will determine the best way to remediate PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, from vernal pools in the Housatonic River. 

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric held an open house for the Vernal Pool Pilot Study on Reach 5A, a five-mile stretch between the river's confluence and Lenox border.  Despite the rain, several people attended the event at the Berkshire Athenaeum. 

EPA project manager Josh Fontaine explained that it is an evaluation of which remediation method to use for the remaining vernal pools in Reach 5A. 

"We're going to be testing two different methods. One is an excavation method, which we already know has been very successful with another vernal pool cleaned up much earlier in the project," he said. 

"And then the other is the application of two different carbon amendments. It would be the application of powdered activated carbon and the application of granulated activated carbon." 

Ten vernal pools will be cleaned using these methods: five with excavation and five with active carbon; seven additional vernal pools will be monitored as controls. Construction will be complete around October, but the pools will be left to their natural processes and monitored with surveys and sampling for three years. 

Fontaine said there is no frontrunner for methodology. 

"We know the excavation method is effective, but we would like to see if the less invasive method of using the amendment will be as effective for potential use," he said. 

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