Vermont State Police said Wednesday that Paul Lachapelle Jr., of Littleton, New Hampshire, was arrested in that state, and charged with the 2022 murder of Justin Gilliam in Springfield, Vermont.
“VSP’s investigation determined the homicide was related to a dispute among several individuals involved in illegal drug trafficking,” police wrote in a press release, noting that Lachapelle lived in Springfield at the time of the murder. State police obtained an arrest warrant related to the murder last week, they said.
Gilliam’s murder came amid a spate of gun-related crime in Springfield centered around Valley Street. In the months that followed, federal, state and local law enforcement descended on the town, leading to charges for at least eight people.
State police said Lachapelle, 28, was arrested Wednesday by New Hampshire State Police. He’s expected to be extradited to Vermont, where he would face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, police said.
Gilliam was found dead on June 6, 2022, along Greeley Road in Springfield. An autopsy determined he’d died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to police.
