A Vermont man has been charged in the murder and dismemberment of an eldery man he was supposedly taking care of in the man’s home.
The murder allegedly occurred in February but only came to the attention of investigators this week, as WPTZ reported. The suspect has also been accused of providing false information to a police officer.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Justin Stacy entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of murdering 75-year-old Robert Francis and was detained without bail while awaiting a weight of evidence hearing.
According to court records, it was Stacy’s brother, Brian Stacy, who alerted the police about the murder on Monday. Both brothers were residing in Francis’s home in Whittingham at the time when the crime took place.
Brian Stacy told police he heard his brother and Francis having some kind of altercation on the morning of February 10 and came downstairs to find his brother attacking Francis. He said he left the house, and when he came back hours later, his brother told him he had killed the older man.
Brian Stacy also told police he saw Francis’s dismembered body in the basement and saw his brother burning the man’s remains in an outdoor firepit.
Justin Stacy told police that Francis hurt himself while attacking him and then asked Stacy to let him die because of pain he suffered from medical issues.
According to WCAX, Stacy gave several different explanations for Francis’s death, changing the story more than once.
Stacy was previously charged with simple assault in 2022 after he threw a cell phone at Francis and injured him. He gave police varying stories about that incident, according to WPTX.
He told police he met Francis several years ago and that they a “grandfather and granson” type relationship. Francis owned the home where they lived, and Justin took care of Francis, who had limited mobility and used a wheelchair.
The court documents did not say why Brian Stacy waited until May to report a murder that took place in February. They also did not say if Francis’s remains had been found or identified. WCAX reported that Brian Stacy had become increasingly concerned about his brother’s behavior.
