14 DAY TRIAL // Two people have died in Peacham, Caledonia County in Vermont, in what police are ruling a murder-suicide.
Gunshots were heard at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, June 19, and police arrived to find two dead men at 2494 Slack St.
One of the bodies was found outside the Northeast Kingdom home while a second body was inside the residence.
Police have identified the man outside as owner Mark Peabody, 50. The remains of 59-year-old John Jackson of New Hampshire were recovered inside.
According to the Burlington Free Press, the bodies were scheduled for transport to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington for a confirmed identification.
The police were called in by 60-year-old Jeannie Peabody, the wife of Mark Peabody. Officials believe that her ex-husband, Jackson shot Peabody then pointed the gun at himself.
Lt. Robert Cushing stated in a press conference that Peabody confronted Jackson when he ran his vehicle onto their porch.
At that point, she was still inside the house and she heard three gunshots, ran and hid in the basement. Once the gunman entered the home, she managed to get out and reach the home of a neighbor, using their phone to make a 911 call.
“She’s distraught. [..] She just lost her husband. We can all only imagine how she feels,” Cushing describes her state.
“She could hear someone enter the house hearing footsteps walking above her, retreated to her neighbors where she called 911,” he details.
WPTZ reported that the shooter was driving an SUV vehicle rented in Saint Johnsbury. Police brought in tactical unit, a helicopter and a bomb squad to the scene of the crime.
The bomb unit was dispatched to the Slack Street location where shots were fired after a suspicious package was spotted inside the rented SUV. The contents of the package did not include explosives.
Peabody and her ex-husband were fighting over unpaid child support bills and she had taken him to court.