The New Hampshire state police have issued arrest warrants for Chelsea, Vt., residents Robert Tulloch, 17, and James Parker, 16, charging them with first-degree murder of Half and Susanne Zantop.
Tulloch and Parker, "acting in concert" with one another, allegedly "brutally murdered" the Zantops by stabbing them multiple times in the head and chest, investigators said in a news conference today.
Tulloch and Parker have not been arrested, and the police do not know their whereabouts, Senior Assistant Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said.
Ayotte said the arrest warrants were obtained because of probable cause arising from a combination of facts obtained by law enforcement officials and forensic evidence but declined to elaborate.
She said the investigators believe the two high school students are driving a 1987 silver Audi with Vermont plate number CDG690, belonging to an unidentified family member.
The teens were last seen at their homes in Chelsea, Vt., on February 15, Ayotte said.
Ayotte would not comment on whether the two young men knew the Zantops or what their motives for killing them were. She also would not comment on if the two had previous police records.
New Hampshire State Police Col. Gary Sloper called the suspects "intruders to this community," but Ayotte would not say whether they entered the Zantop home illegally or were let in. "Preliminary, there is no connection to this community," Ayotte said.
According to Ayotte, the suspects brought the murder weapon into the home, but she would not specify exactly what the weapon was.
Ayotte reiterated that the investigation is still ongoing, prohibiting her from releasing further information about the crime scene or potential motives.
Tulloch, born May 8, 1983, is described as 6'1", 155 lb., with blue eyes and short brown hair. Parker, born May 24, 1984, is described as 6'0", 150 lb., with brown eyes and short brown hair. Sloper said both suspects are "clean cut."
"They may be armed and dangerous," Sloper said, but he said he did not have any concrete information that would lead him to believe the two are actually armed.
Noting that investigators do not know where Tulloch and Parker are, Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone said they "may very well be apprehended in another jurisdiction."
Ayotte said state Attorney General Philip McLaughlin obtained a warrant allowing the police to pursue and arrest Parker, 16, as an adult and not a juvenile.
Under New Hampshire law, a person is considered a juvenile until the age of 17.
The maximum penalty for each count of first-degree murder is life without parole for adults, while punishment for juveniles can be much less severe.
Ayotte said Canadian border patrol has been notified as a precaution.
She would not comment on whether sexual assault was involved, but she said other criminal charges will be brought if investigators see fit.
Ayotte reiterated McLaughlin's denial that an affair was involved in the motive, as was reported by the Boston Globe yesterday, saying, "That story was not supported by the evidence acquired by this investigation."
Also, the response from the public has been "tremendous" and helped investigators to identify the suspects, Ayotte said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is continuing to assist in the pursuit of the suspects, and the agency has obtained "unlawful flight" warrants, FBI Assistant Special Agent Bill Chase said.
The FBI has also posted pictures and descriptions of the two suspects on its website, www.fbi.gov.
