Vermont judge denies access to records in Dartmouth murders

By The Associated Press

02.26.01

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MONTPELIER, Vt. — A judge refused today to open records that might explain why authorities have accused two teen-agers of killing two Dartmouth College professors last month.

The Associated Press, one of the news organizations seeking the records, planned to appeal immediately to the Vermont Supreme Court, AP lawyer Philip White said.

The sealed records include affidavits for search warrants and a request for physical evidence from the suspects, according to District Court Judge Patricia Zimmerman's decision.

"Piecemeal dissemination of information does not promote an understanding of the investigation and charges in this case; rather the opposite occurs, and has occurred, in this case," Zimmerman ruled.

Prosecutors say releasing documents could jeopardize their continuing investigation, and Zimmerman said the investigation is clearly ongoing.

James Parker, 16, and Robert Tulloch, 17, are accused of fatally stabbing Half and Susanne Zantop on Jan. 27 in their Hanover, N.H., home.

The teens — who live in the small town of Chelsea, about 25 miles from Dartmouth — were caught last week at an Indiana truck stop.

Authorities obtained 10 different search warrants in Vermont as they sought evidence against the two teen-agers.

Authorities have said nothing about a possible motive and almost nothing about their evidence. A sheriff told the AP earlier that authorities sought out Parker and Tulloch because one had bought a military-style knife on the Internet. The sheriff also said fingerprint evidence linked one suspect to the scene.

Sources have told other news organizations that a knife sheath or sheaths at the scene bore one of Parker's fingerprints and that a boot print linked Tulloch to the home.

All the affidavits requesting the warrants, as well as inventories of items seized, were closed by Zimmerman and another Vermont judge at the request of prosecutors.

Meanwhile, in Haverhill, N.H., Parker was arraigned at a closed juvenile hearing today. Prosecutors are trying to have him certified as an adult for trial, but the defense says he should retain his juvenile status.

Tulloch, an adult under New Hampshire law, will go before a judge on Feb. 28 in Lebanon for a preliminary hearing on evidence. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

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