A man was arrested after allegedly killing his father, stepmom and her teen son inside their Vermont home earlier this week — then calling cops to report the grisly crime, authorities said.
Brian Crossman Jr., 22, is accused of fatally shooting his dad and local official Brian Crossman, 46, his wife Erica, 41, and her 13-year-old son Colin Taft at the house they shared in the rural town of Pawlet near the New York state border on Sunday morning, Vermont State Police said.
The Granville, New York native was taken into custody by New York State Police on Friday and charged with three counts of aggravated murder.
He made a court appearance in Warren County Court in Lake George where he was ordered to be held without bail pending his extradition back to Vermont, officials said.
Brian Crossman was found dead from shots to the head and torso, his wife from at least one to the head and her teen from “multiple gunshot wounds” in their blood-soaked home on Sunday morning. A gun and shell casings were recovered.
Police say Crossman Jr., called 911 to report the incident, telling police he had gone for a walk and when he returned, he found his family slain, WCAX reported. However investigators quickly found inconsistencies in the 22-year-old’s story.
The motive of the shooting remains under investigation.
Family members told the outlet that Crossman Jr. had a troubled relationship with his father, who had just been elected to the Pawlet Select Board.
He had a learning disability, a history of mental health issues and had aggressive episodes in the past, the relatives said.
Police also said that a search of Crossman Jr.’s phone revealed searches related to serial killers and cold case murders.
Crossman Jr.’s father and wife married in June on their picturesque farm, which had been in the family for generations, neighbors said.
“He was cleaning it up and working the farm. I think he was just trying to make a new start and trying to run the family farm. And, yeah, this just is, like, the last thing I expected,” a relative told the Bennington Banner.
