Police on Monday arrested another suspect in the alleged conspiracy to kill a Massachusetts teen in Danby two years ago, the third person to be arrested in the case so far.
Elijah Johnson, 22, of Manchester was arrested on a felony charge of being an accessory after the fact, Vermont State Police said in a news release. State prosecutors have also charged him with conspiracy to commit murder and aiding in the commission of a felony, the release states.
Johnson’s charging documents remained sealed as of Monday, the day before he was scheduled to appear in Bennington Superior criminal court to answer to the allegations. But court documents related to his co-defendants, who were charged last week, show that Johnson is accused of being a driver in a two-vehicle convoy that drove the shooters and the victim from Bennington County to the site where he was shot on Feb. 2, 2022.
Police said the body of Isaiah Rodriguez, 17, was found with 16 gunshot wounds the following day, left in the snow along Danby Mountain Road. State and federal police allege that about three people — who have not yet been charged in court — shot Rodriguez at an improvised shooting range in Danby due to a dispute over drug trafficking and a stolen gun.
Johnson is detained at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility for lack of a $15,000 cash or surety bond, jail records show. He was arrested in Burlington on Monday, shortly after his release from federal custody on unrelated charges, state police said.
Bennington residents Shawn Bulson III and Ashley Wicks were charged last Monday with being an accessory after the fact. Bulson has not been able to make bail and remains in jail. Wicks was released on court-ordered conditions, including home detention.
