Authorities say a man from Vermont is being charged with murder after they say he sexually assaulted and killed his 82-year-old neighbor, then burned and buried her body.
State Police said in a statement that Darren Martell, 23, of St. Albans, was nabbed on July 25 and charged the next day with aggravated murder in connection with the death of Roberta Martin, 23, of Enosburgh, Vermont.
WCAX, the Concord Monitor, and the Associated Press all say that Martell pleaded not guilty when he went to St. Albans Court on July 26.
He made the plea while Martin’s family and friends, who were “noticeably emotional,” watched, according to WCAX.
A neighbor told the VSP that Martin was missing on July 17, three days before the incident. Police said Martin’s family had last talked to her on the phone at 11:30 p.m. the night before.
In later reports on the case, the police said that her disappearance was “suspicious.” The VSP said that there were signs of a break-in at her house.
WCAX says Martell was caught on camera talking to cops the day after Martin went missing.
VSP said Martin’s body was found in the woods off of Sand Hill Road in Enosburgh on July 21. It was close to his home.
The VSP said that Martin was sexually attacked by Martell before she was killed.
Authorities told NBC 5 that her body parts were burned and then hidden.
VSP said that Martell was arrested and charged with alleged lewd and lascivious behavior on July 22 after people saw him masturbating in public.
On Tuesday, July 23, he said he wasn’t guilty and was being held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans on $500 bail.
He was still in jail when he was caught and charged with taking Martin’s life. Next week, Martell is set to go back to court.
There is no indication that he has hired a lawyer to speak for him.
Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org if you or someone you know has been sexually attacked.
