Almost exactly one year after the initial chaos surrounding the shocking murders of Half and Susanne Zantop hit, some answers for the Upper Valley community are on the horizon.
Despite recent twists in the case, the upcoming trial of Robert Tulloch -- accused of stabbing the Dartmouth professors to death with the aid of James Parker -- should shed some light on exactly what happened on Jan. 27, 2001.
The Case
Tulloch's defense plans on claiming he is not guilty by reason of insanity. To do this, they must combat Parker's testimony for the prosecution.
Parker, 17, pleaded guilty to a one count of accomplice to second-degree murder in the death of Suzanne Zantop on Dec. 7. In return for his testimony, lead prosecutor Kelly Ayotte's agreed to recommend a sentence of 25 years to life.
Tulloch, though, pleaded innocent to two separate sets of charges of first-degree murder and will face trial on Apr. 22.
Tulloch, 18, was initially indicted on two first-degree murder charges alleging he "purposely" committed the aforementioned crime. The new set of indictments introduced last month say he "knowingly" killed the victims during a robbery.
The two sets of charges were combined by the trial judge at a hearing earlier this month.
Questions, though, still surround the defendant's motives for killing the Zantops, who lived more than 40 miles away from the defendants. Prosecutors have not offered any direct connection or prior relationship between the victims and the defendants.
The Boston Herald reported Thursday that Tulloch told a source inside the Grafton Country prison that the he intended to rob the Zantops but it "kind of turned into a thrill kill," the source said in the Herald report.
The prosecution's motive charges may have been revised in response to Tulloch's lawyer's announcement two months ago that they plan to claim Tulloch is not guilty by reason of insanity.
The Insanity Defense
Contrary to public sentiment, pleading insanity rarely equals a crime left unpunished.
"It is not the easy way out that people think it is because it is very difficult to address and prove in court," said Ted Kirkpatrick, the director of the Justice institute at the University of New Hampshire.
Kirkpatrick added that insanity is relative to individual cases, but is largely based on the same reasoning for differentiating adult and child sentences.
"The definition for sanity is rather vague and basically depends on a legal judgment of whether the person was responsible for his or her actions at the time of the crime," Dartmouth psychology professor Todd Heatherton said.
One common misconception of the insanity defense is that it often leads to a reduced sentence. In fact, quite the opposite may hold true.
"In New Hampshire, the court continues to look at your cases every five years to see if you're still dangerous," University of New Hampshire professor of political science Michael Scibbie said. "People can be confined for decades."
As a result of this uncertain sentence, the insanity defense is rarely used, most often for crimes like murder where the possible jail sentences are already very long.
If proven not guilty by insanity, the court then assigns some type of treatment remedy for the defendant. This treatment differs only slightly from confinement in a state prison.
"The confinement tends to be in the secure psychiatric unit, which is on the ground of the state prison," said Scibbie, who was also the former Director of Public Defenders in New Hampshire.
Doctors there treat other patients who come from the state prison and those from local hospitals who pose a risk to themselves or the staff.
"This place looks a whole lot like a prison ward," Scibbie said.
The Trial
Robert Parker will testify for the prosecution as part of his plea bargain, which resulted in his guilty plea and reduced charge.
Parker's testimony will likely be questioned in court since it is being given in exchange for a reduced charge.
In general, "It is very common for the credibility for those kinds of witness to be challenged by the defense," Scibbie said.
The inducement given by prosecutors in return for testimony against the defendant is considered to be relevant and admissible evidence for the defense.
The defense also plans to scrutinize the reliability of the DNA forensic evidence analyzed at an unaccredited state laboratory, which prosecutors claim directly links Tulloch to the crime scene.
Murder cases "are a very big deal" in sparsely populated New Hampshire; Scibbie said. The attorney general's office handles nearly all murder cases in New Hampshire, whose lawyers have relatively low caseloads and can afford to pour great amounts of resources into each case.
The public defenders office responds in kind to a murder trial. Two highly skilled public defenders are assigned to each murder case. Attorneys Richard Guerriero and Barbara Keshen represent Tulloch.
The Community Recovery
The Dartmouth community continues to adjust to the Zantops' absence in both tangible and intangible ways.
For those looking for spiritual and mental solace one day after the one-year anniversary of the deaths of the Zantops, the College is opening Rollins Chapel as a location for prayer and reflection from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today.
At the time of her death, Suzanne Zantop served as the chair of the German Studies department while teaching courses in German, comparative literature, and women's studies.
Professor Konrad Konkel is now the one-year interim chair of the German department. As yet, Suzanne Zantop's position within the department has not been filled, though Konkel said it should be filled by the end of the year.
