NEWPORT, Vt. (WCAX) – The suspect in a Northeast Kingdom double-murder faced a judge Wednesday in what police are calling a gruesome crime and neighbors say is out of character with the community.
Cirell Brown, 23, of Orleans, pleaded not guilty in Orleans County Court in Newport to two counts of second-degree murder in the killing of two friends of the family Tuesday evening at an apartment on Water Street.
“It’s just something completely unnatural for this type of community,” said Kaleb Mason, who owns the pet store across the street from where police say 61-year-old Paula Broe and 65-year-old Steven Luisi were murdered. “They’re just a hard-working family. It seems like Steve has worked for the mill for many years. It’s just a horrible thing for that family to go through.”
Police say Brown killed the pair using a baseball bat and a knife. They say a neighbor called 911 shortly after 5 p.m. after hearing a break-in and screaming next door. When police arrived got to the apartment, they say they found Brown with blood on his clothing and boots saying, “Why is he not dead?”
“Law enforcement met him, watched him come down the stairs in the apartment and stand over the bodies with a knife,” said Orleans County State’s Attorney Farzana Leyva.
Court paperwork shows the victims considered Brown family but that there was growing concern for his mental health. He received mental health treatment at a facility in Connecticut within the last year where he was charged with an assault.
Leyva said there are still no answers as to what his motive was Tuesday. “He did make statements about ‘If someone messes with your wife…’ And so again, this is all under investigation and we don’t know yet what happened,” she said.
Brown’s attorney, Lydia Newcomb, raised concerns in court about his competency. “Pursuant to the screening received, there are some serious concerns about his capacity to understand why exactly he is here today,” she said.
Back in Orleans, residents remain on edge as investigators continue to comb through the scene for evidence. “Shock and sadness. It shouldn’t be happening anywhere and it’s sad when it’s in your own community,” said Abbygale Karlen.