As expected, Robert Tulloch pleaded innocent yesterday to brutally murdering College professors Half and Susanne Zantop this January at their home in Etna.
"Robert is, and should be, presumed innocent," Tulloch's lawyer, Robert Guerriero of Keene, said Monday.
The Chelsea, Vt., native said nothing during his arraignment that lasted only a minute at the Grafton County Superior Court in Haverhill.
As he was led into the courtroom, the Associated Press reported, he glanced briefly at his family, showing no emotion as a court clerk read the charges filed against him.
Tulloch, 17, was indicted on two counts of first degree murder on April 19. His alleged accomplice, James Parker, 16, is considered a juvenile under New Hampshire state law and prosecutors are seeking to certify him as an adult before proceeding with his indictment.
Both teens are currently being held without bail, and none was set for Tulloch today; accordingly, he will remain incarcerated at the county jail.
Guerriero said he is putting off asking for bail due to the complex nature of the case. He added that he will wait to gather all information before any formal hearings.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said a trial date will be decided in the next few weeks, but said it is not expected to begin before February.
Ayotte declined to comment on the status of the attempt to certify Parker to stand trial as an adult.
She also declined to comment on a possible motive for the murders, though outside speculators have hypothesized that a botched burglary attempt or a thrill kill could be possible motives.
Questioned as to the status of the investigation, Ayotte said there is always follow-up work, "but in terms of the bulk of the investigation, that is concluded."
According to court documents, evidence gathered against the youths includes a knife containing the blood of Susanne Zantop, found in Tulloch's bedroom and a knife sheath, left at the murder scene, with a fingerprint that matched Parker.
Ayotte said yesterday Judge Peter Smith has not ruled on the state's request for blood samples from Tulloch.
The two were fingerprinted by authorities on Feb. 15, and fled Vermont shortly afterward. They were arrested at an Indiana truckstop four days later, following a nationwide manhunt by police from various nearby states and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
