A 23-year-old man faces a murder charge after police found his 82-year-old neighbor dead.
Darren Martell was charged on Thursday with aggravated murder in connection to the killing of Roberta Martin, according to NECN. Martell had been living next door to the victim in Enosburgh, Vermont.
Family reported Martin missing on July 17 after they went to her home to check on her, and she was not there.
Vermont State Police said Sunday that troopers found human remains in the woods near Martin’s home. An autopsy confirmed they were the 82-year-old woman, according to the report.
Police have yet to detail how the woman died.
According to the Saint Albans Messenger, authorities believe Martell broke into Martin’s residence and sexually assaulted the victim before killing her.
When her family arrived at the home, they found the air conditioning pulled out from the window and still running.
Martell was charged on Thursday while being held in jail. He had been in custody since Monday when he was arrested on a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct after police reportedly found him touching himself along the edge of a walking path near a school, according to NECN.
If convicted, Martell faces life in prison.
