NH man arrested for killing in Springfield, VT – NECN

The man suspected of a fatal shooting in Vermont was arrested two years later in New Hampshire, authorities said Wednesday.

The body of Justin Gilliam, a 38-year-old from Springfield, Vermont, was found on the side of Greeley Road near Spencer Brook in the city on June 6, 2022. Vermont State Police said they are investigating a homicide – Gilliam was shot in the head.

Paul Lachapelle Jr. was arrested by New Hampshire State Police on Wednesday, the agency said. The 28-year-old from Littleton, New Hampshire, was arrested on a fugitive from justice charge and was being held in the Grafton County Jail pending an extradition hearing in Littleton District Court on Thursday, police said.

Lachapelle was wanted in Vermont on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Vermont State Police said they obtained the warrant for his arrest on Friday.

Lachapelle was living in Springfield at the time – the city is about two hours south of Littleton on the border between New Hampshire and Vermont – and the murder is believed to have occurred during an argument over the sale of drugs, according to police. How he was identified as a suspect was not disclosed.

After his extradition, Lachapelle is expected to face murder charges in Vermont Supreme Court in White River Junction, police said.