BRATTLEBORO — A 25-year-old Brattleboro man pleaded not guilty Monday to a second-degree murder charge involving this month’s death of a fellow resident.
Matthew Dulmaine is being held without bail in the case of Timothy Barbour, a 59-year-old Brattleboro man found dead Aug. 2 near a trail by the base of this town’s Harris Hill Ski Jump.
Dulmaine, who has been lodged at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, sat silently in handcuffs and leg shackles at Windham County Superior criminal court in Brattleboro as his assigned attorney, Josh Stern, entered the plea.
In a court affidavit, Brattleboro police said Dulmaine had been living in his car in the Harris Hill parking lot since recently losing his apartment and receiving a no trespass notice from his family.
“His family has struggled with Dulmaine’s mental health,” Detective Sgt. Joshua Lynde said in summing up interviews with several members. “Dulmaine has threatened serious bodily injury to his own mother.”
Dulmaine’s mother told police her son once said, “I’m going to be the next prolific serial killer, watch my crime shows, know how to do it and get away with it,” Detective Colby Kerylow wrote in the affidavit.
Police arrested Dulmaine some two weeks after finding Barbour’s body — injured by what they called “blunt” and “sharp cutting” instruments — near where walkers and hikers travel year-round.
The day after the discovery, police stopped Dulmaine as he was driving through town, according to court paperwork.
“Several reddish-brown stains can be seen inside the vehicle,” Detective Sgt. Greg Eaton wrote of the encounter.
The Vermont Forensic Laboratory went on to determine that DNA on the driver seat and a baseball bat and glove inside Dulmaine’s car matched Barbour’s, the affidavit said.
Dulmaine is a 2017 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School and went on to study at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, according to education records.
Barbour was described in a recent Brattleboro Reformer story as someone who sparked local headlines in 2021 for a substance use disorder, but was most remembered by family and friends for being “a fabulous uncle.”
