Man pleads not guilty to killing three family members in Vermont

RUTLAND, Vt. — The son of a Vermont city official accused of killing his father, stepmother and stepbrother pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail at his first court appearance in Vermont on Thursday.

A defense attorney pleaded not guilty to three counts of aggravated murder on behalf of Brian Crossman Jr., 23, of Granville, New York, who waived extradition from his home state where he was arrested. He is being held until a Vermont judge holds another hearing on whether he should be jailed during the trial.

Crossman Jr., who watched via video feed from jail, did not comment during the brief hearing.

He is accused of murdering his father, 46-year-old Brian Crossman Sr., a member of the Pawlet Selectboard, as well as Erica Crossman, 41, and Colin Taft, 13, at their Pawlet home early Sept. 15.

A prosecutor said autopsies showed two of the victims died of gunshot wounds. “We believe this demonstrates a persistent and vicious form of violence against his victims, which should give the court significant pause in deciding whether or not to release the defendant,” the prosecutor said.

Crossman, who reported the murders, told police he was covered in blood from trying to drag his father's body away to take it to a relative's house after returning from a walk to find the three dead , while he had spent the weekend with them an affidavit. State police found an open gun safe and several weapons scattered about.

According to police, Crossman Jr. was admitted to a psychiatric ward at Glens Falls Hospital on the day of the murders. New York State Police arrested him on September 19.