Allison Gee, 26, was in court to plead guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault in exchange for testifying against the remaining defendants.
Four others charged in the killing of Amos Beede, 38, have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Some have sought plea deals, but the state has made them no offer, said Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George.
The other defendants are Erik Averill, 22, Jordan Paul, 22, Myia Barber, 23, and Amber Dennis, 30. They remain in prison awaiting the outcome of their cases.
Gee was offered a plea deal because she had no criminal record, she has young children and, by all accounts, she was the least involved in the fatal beating, George said.
“Did she stand by and watch? Yes. Is that horrible? Yes. But her actual conduct, and what she admitted to, and what the other co-defendants said she did, was minimal compared to the others,” George said.
Before Judge Nancy Waples accepted the plea, Beede’s sister, Lisa Beede, was given an opportunity to address Gee.
“We hope you never, ever have to go through the pain we go through — ever,” Lisa Beede said. “You don’t know the pain we feel, and it’s hard what was done and what we have to hear what was done.”
“I hope you think about what you did every day,” she added.
Gee also had the chance to address Amos Beede’s family members. Fighting through sobs, Gee said she understood that nothing she said in court was likely to ease their pain and sadness.
“I did not previously know Amos Beede before this night. I understood the reasons others had for wanting to confront him, but nothing could have prepared me for the things I saw that night,” Gee said.
“No single act that he or anyone could have done is equivalent to the egregious and cruel retaliation that he received. I’m apologizing for my part, no matter how big or small, in this gruesome unnecessary act inflicted on your loved one,” Gee said.
The facts stipulated in the plea agreement say that in the early hours of May 22, Barber said she wanted to get revenge on Amos Beede because she believed he had poured urine on her tent in the Barge Canal area.
All five defendants had been drinking alcohol that night and went to the adjacent camp where Amos Beede was staying. Barber and Dennis pulled him from the tent where he was sleeping, and began punching and kicking him, according to the plea agreement.
Beede tried to fight back, flailing his legs as he was on the ground. Gee stepped closer because she thought he was becoming more aggressive, and Beede kicked her in the pubic bone, according to the plea agreement.
Gee became angry and punched Amos Beede at least twice in the head. She then kicked him at least three times in the torso. Beede then begged them to stop, saying he would leave. Gee then backed away, the agreement states.
For 10 to 15 minutes more, the other defendants continued the beating. Averill stomped on Beede’s head with both feet multiple times and threw a charcoal grill that hit him in the face, according to the agreement.
Later, Averill and Paul dragged Beede away from the campsite and covered him in a blanket. Gee checked Beede’s pulse, and he was still alive, the agreement states.
With the exception of Dennis, the defendants then got into Gee’s car and drove around, eventually stopping for food, according to the plea. Not long after that, they fled the state and were later arrested in San Diego.
Speaking after the hearing, Ina McKinney, another of Amos Beede’s sisters, said she understood why the state had offered Gee a deal, but she was still disappointed.
“Honestly, in my heart, I didn’t really agree with this plea deal, because (Gee) was involved. It should be a murder charge,” McKinney said. Still, she said she hopes it will help secure murder convictions for the other defendants.
McKinney said she’ll always remember her sibling’s kindness and his smile. Though he spent a great deal of time with the homeless in Burlington, Amos Beede was not homeless.
He had an apartment in Milton, but on the night he was killed there was no bus service from Burlington to Milton, so he stayed at the homeless encampment.
Amos Beede would often bring travel-size toiletries to share with friends who were homeless and always made an effort to connect them with services that could help them get back on their feet, said his mother, Barbara Beede.
George said she understands why Amos Beede’s relatives are upset by the plea deal but said she’s confident they also see why it made sense.
“I don’t blame them. They lost a family member in an extremely horrible crime,” George said. “I think any one of us that had that happen would want every one of them to plead to the murder charge and go to jail for the 20 years.”
Her office could have prosecuted all five defendants without any cooperation, George said, “but it’s always better to have someone testifying against the other people who was there from the beginning.”
As Barbara Beede concluded an interview with reporters outside the courtroom, she offered a final thought: “One down, four to go.”
