By Michael Bielawski,
A disturbing police report, a double murder of a couple at their home on early Friday in Montpelier by a relative who lived at the house. The suspect is a young man in custody and it’s emerged that he suffered a serious head injury just two years ago.
The State Police report states, “The incident was reported at about 11:30 a.m. at a private home on Gallison Hill Road. First responding police officers located two people dead at the scene and detained one man. Everyone involved in this incident is believed to be accounted for, and there is no identified threat to the community.”
VDC observed several police cars at the location on Gallison Hill Road on Friday late afternoon, just a short distance from U32 High School. Later in the day police updated, “The victims are believed to be the other occupants of the home, a man and a woman who are related to Gomes [29-year-old Matthew Gomes].”
It continues that their full identities will come out soon, pending the autopsies from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington.
A ‘relative’
An NBC News report states, “Officials said Gomes lived at the home with the two victims, who are related to him. Police did not specify their relationship pending identification from autopsy results.”
It continues that police have been familiar with this family. It states, “[Maj. Dan Trudeau] also said that Montpelier PD has been called to the home several times in the past. He also said that Gomes is also the person who called police to notify them of the deaths."
Suspect turned himself in
The report states, “Investigation by the Vermont State Police determined that Gomes attacked and killed the victims in the early morning of Friday, Nov. 15. He was arrested after calling 911 at about 11:30 a.m., stating that he had harmed his relatives and requesting police and an ambulance respond to the home.”
Suspect suffered serious head injury
Gomes is just two years removed from a very serious head injury that according to his family seriously impacted his mental status.
A GoFundMe page states, “Please help Matt who has endured a major financial set back due to medical bills and is currently being hospitalized.” The page had raised over $1,500 via more than 31 donations.
It continues that the injury was impacting Gomes' mental health.
“A couple weeks ago, after Matt sustained a gash to his head that required him to go to the ED twice and get stitches, his physical and mental health started to decline. He started acting unlike himself with slurred and erratic speech.”
It continues that the doctors at Central Vermont Medical Center worked on him and he showed some initial improvement. The post concludes, “We are truly thankful that he is slowly getting better every day. Hopefully he will be able to leave the hospital soon.”
Latest trends on domestic murder
Domestic murders account for nearly one in four of all murders in the U.S. “Overall, 23% of all American killings from 2010 to 2019 were domestic homicides, more than half of which involved shootings,” states a report at PBS.
Another stat on domestic violence includes that “It takes an average of 7 attempts for a survivor to leave their abuser and stay separated for good,” says a report at The National Sexual Violence Research Center.
Overall, Vermont is considered one of the safest states in the nation regarding murder rates.
According to the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Report, the murder rate per 100,000 people is 2.2, which for that year ranked Vermont 47th in the nation with just three states having fewer murders.
Online reactions
On Facebook and other social media, Vermonters have already been responding to the news.
“Scary.. sad, upsetting... this never happened when I was younger. It used to be a safe place. Those days are gone,” wrote Mari Baril on Facebook.
Another Facebook user Brenda Brothers Atherton wrote, “Has nothing to do with democrats or republicans it has to do with too much drugs alcohol and no respect for any thing any more.”
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
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