Berkshire County Sees 3 Murders in One Month

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There have been three murders in Berkshire County this month, as well as shots fired into a residential neighborhood in Pittsfield. 

There is no connection between the murders which appeared to have varying motives between family members, work colleagues and complete strangers. 

A Sheffield man was arraigned in Great Barrington District Court on Tuesday on murder charges after allegedly revealing a body to another person, a Springfield man was arraigned for murder in Central Berkshire District Court on Monday for allegedly stabbing another man to death over a disagreement in Pittsfield, and in May, a North Adams man was arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court for allegedly killing his father

District Attorney Timothy Shugrue on Monday described Friday's fatal incident in Pittsfield as "senseless." Zyrus Jaynes, 24, allegedly stabbed 36-year-old Jesse Gray of Pittsfield to death after words were exchanged on Hall Place. 

According to police, it was a quick escalating interaction, and that the two hadn't exchanged words or had a physical altercation before. The defendant allegedly told police he thought Gray was going to hit the group he was walking with while pulling into a multifamily residence. 

"When you lose somebody to a murder, it's just senseless. In this case, it's extremely senseless. So I think that they're shocked," Shugrue said about the victim's family on Monday, reporting that there were several children on the densely settled, dead-end street who witnessed it. 

"…There are multiple children out there that need to see people because they're traumatized by the event of seeing someone pass away in front of their eyes." 

The day before, on Sunday, two homes near Memorial Drive and Doyle Drive in Pittsfield were struck by gunfire, and investigators located 17 shell casings on the scene. No injuries were reported.


On Monday, during budget deliberations, the Pittsfield City Council voted against cutting funding for ShotSpotter gunfire detection services. This shooting incident was highlighted during the conversation. 

On Tuesday, Cole Bushnell, 41, of Sheffield, was arraigned on the murder of 40-year-old Michael Moore of Winsted, Conn.  

A witness told police on Monday that Bushnell had shown him a body under a mattress in a greenhouse on his property. The witness was able to leave the property and immediately drove to a Connecticut State Police station nearby. 

Bushnell has been reported as owning the property where the body was found, and he was elected last year to the town's Planning Board. 

According to the DA's Office, there were signs of blunt force trauma to Moore's head and a puncture wound in his back.
 
Last month, David Louis Boucher, 48, walked into the North Adams Police Station to report he had killed his father the week before. Police said it was a "brutal" scene; Shugrue said the victim was stabbed multiple times with different, sharp objects. 

The attack is believed to have happened on Tuesday, May 5, based on initial evidence, including the state of the body and statements made by the defendant, according to the DA's Office.


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Companion Corner: Fox at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and energetic dog at the Berkshire Humane Society waiting for his new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Fox is a 3-year-old Pomeranian who has been at the shelter for about a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Fox. 

"He's a bundle of joy. He would love a family who's home with him a lot, because he's just, he's very social and wants to be with his people a lot. And he would be fun to bring out and about, bring a lot of places, because he's very happy to go anywhere," she said.

When Fox enters the room he is immediately a puffball of energy that goes around and around the room.

He came to the shelter after his former owner could not take care of him anymore. 

"The owner was just not able to care for him anymore. Had he came in with another dog, Wolf, and she already did find her forever home just last week," said Olivieri. "The two of them were left with a friend of the original owner, and the owner did not come back to pick them up, and the friend had too many animals in the house, and too much going on, and she just couldn't continue to look after them, so they did end up coming to us."

Fox can go home with cats and children but is not recommended to go home with other dogs as he gets too excited.

"He would love a home where people are home quite a bit to give him all the attention that he so desires. He loves kids. He absolutely adores children. So he would like a home with kids to play with. He could live with cats. We are saying that he should not live with other dogs. The only reason is that he gets very humpy, and he does not leave the other dogs alone," she said.

With his energy it is recommended he goes to a home that can keep him active whether walks or hikes and even fetch in the yard.

Fox does need to learn more about walking on a leash and has a tendency to mark in the house but he was recently neutered. Olivieri said belly bands will be sent home with whoever adopts him to help prevent marking and managing it.

"He would like an active home. He really does like to go for walks daily. He likes to run around in the yard. He does need a little work on leash walking. He sometimes gets a little tangled still under your feet, and he's learning how to walk on a leash," she said. "So, someone who's got some patience and some time to work on some training with him."

"He also is not fully potty trained, so he does know to go potty outside. However, he will still mark, urinate in the house sometimes, and he might poop here and there in the house."

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