A 22-year-old man accused of killing three members of his family last month pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Thursday in Rutland County criminal court.
Brian Crossman Jr., of Granville, New York, faces three charges of aggravated murder, which each carry a life sentence with no possibility of parole if he’s convicted.
During Thursday’s brief arraignment in Rutland County criminal court, Crossman Jr. didn’t speak and appeared by video from Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, where he’s been held since he was extradited from New York state on Wednesday afternoon. Crossman Jr.'s attorney entered not guilty pleas on his client's behalf during the hearing.
Judge Cortland Corsones granted Rutland County State’s Attorney Ian Sullivan’s initial request to hold Crossman Jr. in prison without bail, pending the weight of the evidence. That hearing will be held at a later time to determine if Crossman Jr. should remain incarcerated while his case is pending.
According to police, Crossman Jr. fatally shot his father Brian Crossman Sr., a member of the Pawlet Select Board; his stepmother Erica (Pawlusiak) Crossman; and his 13-year-old stepbrother Colin Taft in the early morning hours of Sept. 15.
Crossman Jr. had been staying at his father’s house that weekend while his mother and stepfather were away. Crossman Jr. allegedly used guns that were at the house in the killings, Vermont State Police said in an affidavit filed in court.
Police say Crossman Jr. initially called 911 on Sept. 15 to say he’d returned from a walk and found his family members dead. But police, in the affidavit, say cell phone records, and bloody clothing and bloody footprints found in the house cast doubt on Crossman Jr.’s story.
Family members also told police that Crossman Jr. displayed some troubling behavior and struggled with mental health problems in recent years. His mother told investigators Crossman Jr. sought in-patient treatment in “multiple” facilities in the past, and in the past two years his unstable behavior had started to escalate, the affidavit says. A family friend also told police that Crossman Jr. once allegedly said he was going to kill his father someday, according to the affidavit.
Crossman Jr. was arrested on the murder charges on Sept. 20 in New York state, where he was held until he was extradited to Vermont this week.
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