BURLINGTON — Four people charged with the murder of a Milton resident all pleaded not guilty at their arraignments Monday.
Erik Averill, 21, Jordan Paul, 21, Myia Barber, 22, and Allison Gee, 25, face second-degree murder charges in connection with the beating of Amos Beede, 38, in May in Burlington.
A fifth suspect, Amber Dennis, 29, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment last month.
All five are being held without bail. If found guilty, each would face 20 years to life in prison.
Beede was a transgender man who was well-known in the Burlington homeless community. He was at a homeless camp on Pine Street when the attack occurred. Witnesses told police Beede was part of a dispute between two homeless camps in the Barge Canal area just before he was killed.
In the days and hours preceding his death, Beede told police he felt he was in danger. The five suspects were said by witnesses to have kicked and beaten Beede.
The four who were arraigned Monday were brought back to Vermont early this month from San Diego, where they drove shortly after the beating. Each of the four told police in California that they played some role in the beating that led to Beede’s death, according to court documents.
Dennis did not go to California with the others and gave statements to police implicating the other suspects and declaring her own innocence. The four suspects arraigned Monday, however, gave statements to police saying Dennis participated in the attack on Beede.
Barber, Gee and Dennis are being held at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington. Averill and Paul are being held at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St Albans.
Though police say there may have been some bias against Beede’s gender identity on the part of his alleged attackers, prosecutors said they have not found enough evidence to seek hate crime enhancements to the charges.
