Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TOWNSHEND, Vt. (AP) — A woman accused of fatally shooting her fiance and his son on the day he ended their engagement pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder.
Sixty-two-year-old Robin O'Neill is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and is being held without bail in the deaths of 60-year-old Steve Lott and 28-year-old Jamis Lott.
O'Neill called a co-worker and said she had shot Lott and his son, according to a police affidavit. The co-worker called police.
Police said O'Neill appeared to be drunk when they arrived at the Townshend residence.
In an interview, O'Neill said she and Lott had been engaged since July, but the relationship started getting "weird" in September, with Lott spending time with a female friend, the affidavit said.
O'Neill told police she and Lott had gotten into several arguments in recent weeks in which he had become physical with her. On Tuesday, as they were riding to work together, he told her the engagement was off, the affidavit said.
That night, she told police she drank a lot of wine, and Lott's son showed up to do laundry, the affidavit said. The two men talked in the kitchen, and Lott said she doesn't remember what happened next. She said she either picked up a gun or had the gun in her hand and saw the two men on the floor in a pool of blood, the affidavit said.
The Brattleboro Reformer reported that as O'Neill sat in a police cruiser after being detained on suspicion of murder she recited prayers, asked for red wine and cigarettes and made unsolicited statements about the killings, according to court documents.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
