Fifth arrested in Mont Vernon murder

MILFORD – The arrest of 20-year-old Autumn Savoy, of Hollis, on Wednesday brings to five the number of young men to be charged in connection with the Oct. 4 Mont Vernon home invasion that ended in the death of 42-year-old Kimberly Cates and left her daughter, Jaimie, 11, with serious injuries from which she continues to recover.

Savoy, who is charged with two counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution and one count of conspiracy to hinder apprehension or prosecution, all Class B felonies, was arraigned on the first two counts late Wednesday afternoon in Milford District Court.

Judge Martha Crocker set bail at $100,000 cash or surety, the amount requested by Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley, who is prosecuting the case.

Savoy is scheduled to be arraigned on the single count of conspiracy this morning in Nashua District Court, Hinckley said, as that alleged offense occurred in Hollis, which falls under the jurisdiction of Nashua courts.

The other two counts allegedly occurred in Mont Vernon and Milford.

Because the charges are felonies, Savoy entered no plea at the arraignment, but will get a chance to address the charges at a probable cause hearing that’s set for Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 11:30 a.m.

Crocker said because Savoy is charged in two different jurisdictions, it’s not immediately clear where the hearing will take place.

On Oct. 6, two days after the early morning home invasion, murder and assault on rural Trow Road, two of Savoy’s friends – Brookline residents Steven Spader, 18, and Christopher Gribble, 20, – were arrested along with Amherst residents Quinn Glover, 18, and Steven Marks, 18, in connection with the murder and assault.

Savoy, an average-size youth with a crew cut and lip ring, wore a gray University of Vermont hooded sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers as bailiffs and a State Police trooper escorted him into the courtroom. He stood alone at the defense table – he’d yet to hire a lawyer or be assigned a public defender – as Crocker read the charges.

Prosecutors allege in one of the counts that Savoy acted in concert with Spader and Gribble, two of the four arrested two days after the home invasion, to conceal or destroy physical evidence that may have led to their arrests.

On the second count, Hinckley alleged that Savoy agreed to provide an alibi for Spader and Gribble, and did so by telling investigators the two had spent the night of Oct. 3 and most of Oct. 4 at Savoy’s house. The invasion took place around 4 a.m. Oct. 4.

During that time, Hinckley also alleges Savoy helped Spader and Gribble search the Internet for news stories or other mention of the crime.

The conspiracy charge alleges that Savoy helped Spader and Gribble bag clothing they allegedly wore during the assaults and items stolen from the Cates home, then helped them dispose of the bag or bags in the Nashua River in Hollis.

Hinckley added that after the items were tossed into the river, Savoy “disrobed in order to jump into the water after the evidence,” but wouldn’t say why he did so.

Savoy lives at 88 Runnells Bridge Road, also known as Route 111, which is less than a quarter-mile from the Nashua River’s popular fishing spot and boat ramp where Runnells Bridge and Depot roads meet.

Several days after the Mont Vernon incident, neighbors reported police had set up canopies and appeared to be collecting evidence near the boat ramp. Officials didn’t say what, if anything, they found at the time.

Savoy has been in trouble before, mostly in connection with incidents at Hollis/Brookline High School when he was a student.

In April 2008, he was arrested on school grounds for possession of a controlled substance after three students overdosed on prescription medication within a week.

Savoy was charged in connection with the overdoses. A Nashua District Court judge sentenced him to six months of jail time, deferred for two years based on good behavior and drug counseling.

The following February, police arrested Savoy for misdemeanor criminal mischief, accusing him of scratching the word “fag” into a Mitsubishi Lancer parked at high school and causing roughly $500 in damages.

Police didn’t consider the vandalism a hate crime because, Lt. James Sartell said at the time, “the car belonged to a friend of the victim, but he (Savoy) didn’t know it.”

During his arrest, Savoy reportedly told police, “I was having a bad day.”

At Wednesday’s arraignment, Crocker originally read the charges as Class A felonies, but after a recess that included a consultation with Hinckley, corrected them to Class B felonies.

During the recess, Savoy turned in his chair to speak to his mother and another woman seated in the front row and broke into tears.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he sobbed, as the two women also began to cry.

“I wish I could fix it honey, but I can’t,” his mom responded through tears.

In addressing the bail amount, Hinckley said that while Savoy has the drug possession and criminal mischief convictions to his name, his record shows he didn’t miss any court appearances.

“Still, given the serious nature of this crime and the charges against him, I feel $100,000 is an appropriate bail amount,” Hinckley said.

When Crocker asked Savoy if he understood the bail process, the youth paused before speaking.

“Well, I do, but I honestly think that’s a bit excessive,” he told Crocker. “There’s no way I can make that (amount of bail). I’ve never gone anywhere, I’ve always been in court when I was supposed to be.”

After Crocker acknowledged his comments, Savoy continued, addressing the charges against him.

“I wasn’t trying to do anything wrong,” he said, his voice breaking. “I was just scared. … I didn’t know what to do. I just did what I was told,” he said.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 31, or dshalhoup@nashua telegraph.com.

Breaking News | November 18, 2009 at 03:23PM | Click here to expand