STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Autopsy completed following fatal Belvidere shooting

 

BELVIDERE, Vermont (Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022) — An autopsy was completed Thursday on Mark P. Benjamin, 42, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the neck, and the manner of death is a homicide.

 

The suspect, 61-year-old Michael Chadwick of Brownington, was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Hyde Park on a charge of second-degree murder, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered jailed without bail.

 

 

***Update No. 2, 12:20 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022***

The Vermont State Police has made an arrest following a fatal shooting that occurred Wednesday afternoon on Bog Road in the town of Belvidere. Meanwhile, the VSP investigation is continuing early Thursday morning.

 

The victim is identified as Mark P. Benjamin, 42, of Brownington. The suspect is Michael Chadwick, 61, of Brownington, who was arrested early Thursday on a charge of second-degree murder. Chadwick was involved with Benjamin’s mother in a long-term relationship that had recently ended.

 

The shooting occurred at a seasonal camp at 2190 Bog Road that is owned by Benjamin’s mother. Benjamin, who was accompanied by his husband, encountered Chadwick at the camp at about 2:10 p.m. Wednesday. During that encounter, Chadwick fired a handgun at Benjamin, striking him. Benjamin was subsequently able to get into a vehicle driven by his husband, who called 911 and drove away from the scene. They stopped the vehicle at a residence just south of the intersection of Bog Road and Vermont Route 109, where Benjamin was pronounced dead by EMS responders at 2:40 p.m.

 

State troopers who responded to the scene of the shooting found that Chadwick had retreated into the camp and was refusing to surrender. Following about two hours of negotiation, troopers with the Crisis Negotiation Unit successfully persuaded Chadwick to leave the home and surrender peacefully.

 

The Vermont State Police was assisted by the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department and game wardens with the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. Investigators are working closely with the Lamoille County State’s Attorney’s Office.

 

Troopers are continuing their work Thursday morning processing multiple scenes, gathering evidence and obtaining necessary warrants. The victim’s body will be transported to the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of death.

 

Chadwick was ordered jailed for lack of $500,000 cash or surety bail pending arraignment, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Hyde Park.

 

No further information is currently available. The affidavit of probable cause will be filed with the court and made public following Chadwick’s arraignment. Members of the media should call the Court Clerk’s Office to confirm details of the hearing.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022***

The scene in Belvidere is no longer active. One adult man has been taken into custody. Another adult man is deceased.

 

This investigation is in its earliest stages. Detectives with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, joined by members of the Crime Scene Search Team, Field Force Division, Victim Services Unit and public information officer, have responded to this incident and are working on the case.

 

Additional updates will follow as soon as more information is available.

 

 

***Initial news release, 3:55 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022***

The Vermont State Police is responding to an emergency situation involving a reported shooting in the town of Belvidere. There is an active scene and significant police presence in the vicinity of Bog Road. Members of the public should avoid the area.

 

This is a developing situation, and no further information is currently available. The state police will provide regular updates as this incident unfolds.

 

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