Federal prosecutors say a Massachusetts man was at the center of a fast-growing drug conspiracy network in the Brattleboro area when he shot and killed a woman he believed had stolen $10,000 worth of drugs from him.
Prosecutors outlined their case Monday during opening statements in the trial of Frank Caraballo. They allege that Caraballo, of Holyoke, Mass., walked into the woods of Dummerston on July 29, 2011, with Melissa Barratt, of Bellows Falls. They say he shot her in the head.
Caraballo's lawyer says there's no direct evidence linking Caraballo to the killing of Barratt.
A co-defendant, Joshua Makhanda-Lopez of Springfield, has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in exchange for testifying against Caraballo. Lawyers for Caraballo say Makhanda-Lopez told someone else he had killed Barratt, not Caraballo.
