A Brooklyn, New York, man arrested in Maine on a federal firearms offense is wanted on a murder charge in Vermont, stemming from a fatal shooting in June in Leicester.
Zaquikon T. Roy, 35, was arrested Thursday in Lewiston, Maine, on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, an offense that allegedly occurred in Vermont, according to court filings.
Roy made an initial appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, on the charge and federal Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf ordered him held until he is transferred to Vermont for further proceedings, court records stated.
The gun charge stems from an incident in April 2021 when police recovered a firearm while executing a search warrant for a vehicle in Fair Haven, according to court records, and it was traced back to Roy.
Court filings at that time state that Roy had prior felony convictions, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
According to court filings in that federal case against Roy, on June 4 the FBI and Vermont State Police began investigating the shooting of two brothers — Scott Lanpher, 35, who died of gunshot wounds to his upper body, and Larry Lanpher Jr., 31, who was seriously injured.
As a result of that investigation, court records stated, a warrant was issued in Addison County Superior criminal court in Middlebury for Roy’s arrest on state charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Police have released few details related to the Leicester fatal shooting but a filing in federal court provides additional information about what authorities believe took place.
Court records stated that investigators found Scott Lanpher dead on the driveway from an apparent gunshot wound, and fired bullet casings on the ground near his body.
Investigators say they also learned that Larry Lanpher lived in one of the campers on the property and had also been shot. He was taken by ambulance to Porter Medical Center in Middlebury and later the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, where he was treated for his injuries.
As authorities investigated the case, court filings stated, they learned that Scott and Larry Lanpher, “among others,” met with Roy in the parking lot of the Hannaford Supermarket in Middlebury on June 4. During that meeting, according to the filings, the group bought cocaine from Roy, and after receiving the cocaine and later weighing it, determined that it was less than what they had paid for.
A member of the group contacted Roy, who agreed to meet them later that evening to provide more cocaine to make up for the shortage, court documents stated, and when Scott and Larry Lanpher arrived at the property where they lived along Route 7 in Leicester, Roy was already there.
“Although witness statements varied, the common theme among the witnesses was that a disagreement began between Scott and Larry Lanpher Jr., and Roy, about controlled substances,” court documents stated. ”Witnesses reported Roy was the person responsible for shooting Scott Lanpher [fatally] and Larry Lanpher Jr. [non-fatally].”
Two days after the shootings, according to court filings, investigators interviewed Larry Lanpher at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He reported that Roy had come to his camper in Leicester and his brother, Scott Lanpher, went outside to buy cocaine from Roy, the court documents stated.
Larry Lanpher told investigators he was inside his camper when he heard gunshots outside and when he went to see what was happening, he saw Roy standing over Scott Lanpher in the driveway.
Larry Lanpher said Roy shot Scott Lanpher several times, and then shot him, the court filings stated.
As of Monday afternoon, the federal court in Vermont had not set an initial hearing for Roy, according to Fabienne Boisvert-DeFazio, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Vermont.
