A 35-year-old Barre man pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge during a brief court appearance Wednesday afternoon, stemming from the shooting death of another city resident whose partially burned body was found dumped in Plainfield last week.
Kyle Bressette was one of two men arrested Monday night in connection with the murder of 42-year-old Jeffrey Caron. Investigators have described the killing as a botched drug robbery.
During his arraignment in Washington Superior criminal court, Bressette appeared beside his lawyer, having been brought into court in a wheelchair and covered with a blanket. His left arm was heavily bandaged.
Bressette did not speak during the 15-minute arraignment, but his defense lawyer entered a not guilty plea to the murder charge, in addition to entering a not guilty plea to charges in an unrelated case that was pending against Bressette.
Judge John Pacht agreed with the state prosecutor’s request that Bressette be held without bail pending a Nov. 17 court date. The judge also imposed no-contact conditions, preventing Bressette from communicating with several potential witnesses in the case.
Vermont State Police have also arrested Chris Relation, 52, of Berlin, in the case on a charge of being an accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Relation was arraigned in the same court on Tuesday. The state is seeking a habitual offender designation for Relation, meaning his charge could carry a sentence of up to life in prison.
Washington County State’s Attorney Michelle Donnelly also requested that the two defendants not be held in the same prison while awaiting future court dates. The judge said he “strongly supports” the request.
