[A] father and daughter from the Northeast Kingdom who have been questioned in the brutal shooting death last month of a 37-year-old Waterford man have been indicted by a federal grand jury on more drug charges.
No charges have been brought in the death of Michael Pimental, whose body was found Oct. 14 off a rural dirt road in Concord, about 15 miles from the home he shared with his girlfriend, 27-year-old Krystal Whitcomb.
Whitcomb and her 51-year-old father, Shawn Whitcomb, were both named in an indictment charging them with heroin distribution last month. They both had pleaded not guilty to those offenses.
A new indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Burlington on Thursday was brought against the pair, charging them with more drug distribution counts.
In addition to charging Krystal Whitcomb with heroin distribution, the new indictment alleges she distributed fentanyl, a powerful opioid that can be deadly even in tiny amounts.
Shawn Whitcomb has been charged in the new indictment with more counts of distributing heroin as well as a new count of possessing ammunition while being an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance.
The indictment says the charge related to ammunition took place on Oct. 13, the same day that Vermont State Police were notified of Pimental’s disappearance.
The new filings do not provide details about the circumstances surrounding the additional charges, including what type of ammunition Shawn Whitcomb allegedly possessed or where the alleged offense took place, other than Vermont.
Attorney Ian Carleton, representing Shawn Whitcomb, submitted a filing Friday seeking his client’s release from jail to allow him to take part in a residential drug treatment program at Valley Vista in Bradford.
Carleton also wrote in that filing that he “does not know all of the details of this new allegation” regarding the ammunition.
“(B)ut based on discussions with the government,” Carleton wrote, “counsel understands that this new user in possession charge does not allege Mr. Whitcomb used, discharged, brandished, or pointed a firearm at anyone, but rather only handled ammunition that did not belong to him.”
Carleton could not immediately be reached Friday for comment.
In his filing, the defense attorney wrote that Shawn Whitcomb has been accepted in the residential drug treatment program.
“Having spent the last three weeks in custody, Mr. Whitcomb realizes the serious risks presented by the use of drugs and is anxious to take advantage of the opportunity to continue abstinence and recovery at Valley Vista,” Carleton added.
According to court documents, the Whitcombs as well as Pimental were the subjects of an ongoing investigation by the Vermont Drug Task Force involving confidential informants that started in July.
The Whitcombs were both arrested Oct. 14, the same day that Pimental’s body was found by police in Concord. Vermont State Police have termed his death a homicide.
A death certificate filed with the Vermont Department of Health stated that Pimental had been shot multiple times, including in his head and torso.
Following their arrests on the drug charges Oct. 14, both Whitcombs were questioned about Pimental’s death, court records stated. Police and court records have not revealed what either said when questioned about Pimental’s killing.
Both Whitcombs have been jailed since their arrest. A date for their next court appearance is not yet available.
Vermont State Police Capt. Dan Trudeau, head of the major crimes unit, referred questions Friday regarding the drug case against the Whitcombs to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont.
Attempts to reach the federal prosecutor’s office Friday for comment were not successful.
Regarding the homicide investigation into Pimental’s death, Trudeau said the probe was ongoing, in part, awaiting search results from digital devices, such as cellphones and computers.
