STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Arraignment scheduled for suspect in St. Johnsbury homicide

 

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont (Friday, March 1, 2024) — The suspect in this case is scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Monday, March 4, 2024, by video in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury.

 

Members of the media should contact the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office prior to the hearing for information on access to the proceedings.

 

No further details are available from the Vermont State Police at this time.

 

 

***Update No. 3, 1:40 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, 2024***

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the Jan. 23, 2024, fatal shooting of 38-year-old Christina Chatlos in St. Johnsbury.

 

The suspect, a 15-year-old male from Springfield, Massachusetts, will be charged as an adult in Vermont with second-degree murder. He is accused of fatally shooting Chatlos during a confrontation outside 510 Portland St. in St. Johnsbury.

 

The suspect initially was taken into custody after the shooting on an unrelated warrant from the state of Massachusetts. He was extradited there and remained in juvenile custody as the investigation into the St. Johnsbury homicide progressed. On Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, the Massachusetts State Police arrested the suspect on the Vermont murder warrant. He was expected to make an initial appearance later Monday in juvenile court in Hampden County, Massachusetts.

 

The Caledonia County State’s Attorney’s Office is initiating extradition proceedings to have the suspect returned to Vermont. No date has been set yet for his arraignment.

 

The Vermont State Police is unable to comment further at this time. Additional information is available from the affidavit supporting the arrest warrant on file at the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury.

 

VSP’s investigation remains active and ongoing. The state police will provide updates as the case continues.

 

 

***Update No. 2, 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024***

An autopsy was completed Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The victim is identified as Christina Chatlos, 38, of Williamstown and Barre.

 

The medical examiner determined the cause of her death was a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide.

 

The Vermont State Police investigation is continuing. Detectives continue to ask that anyone with information about this case contact the St. Johnsbury Barracks at 802-748-3111 or provide an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

No additional information is available. VSP will continue to provide updates as the case proceeds.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024***

The investigation into Tuesday evening’s suspicious death in St. Johnsbury remains active and ongoing.

 

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, detectives with the Vermont State Police continued their investigation by interviewing witnesses and canvassing the area, speaking with neighbors and attempting to locate video evidence. The Crime Scene Search Team processed the scene at 510 Portland St. where the vehicle and body were discovered. The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife assisted the Crime Scene Search Team by utilizing their canine to search for evidence.

 

The victim was taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy, which is expected to occur Thursday. The Vermont State Police has tentatively identified the victim but will withhold the name until the completion of the autopsy.

 

As a part of this investigation, two individuals have been detained on unrelated, out-of-state warrants. No further information about these individuals is available.

 

Anyone who has information or possible surveillance video showing the scene during the late afternoon and early evening hours of Tuesday, Jan. 23, is asked to call the state police in St. Johnsbury at 802-748-3111. Anonymous tips can be provided online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

Members of the media requesting an on-camera briefing should go to the state police barracks in St. Johnsbury at 4 p.m. for an availability with Detective Lt. Eric Albright.

 

The state police will continue to provide updates as the case develops.

 

 

***Initial news release, 10:55 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024***

The Vermont State Police and the St. Johnsbury Police Department are investigating a suspicious death that was reported Tuesday evening, Jan. 23, 2024, in St. Johnsbury.

 

The investigation began at about 5:55 p.m. when St. Johnsbury police received a report from a passerby who saw a vehicle with apparent bullet holes in a parking lot in the area of 510 Portland St., and an individual inside the vehicle who was slumped over. Responding officers located an adult female deceased at the scene.

 

Initial investigation indicates this was an isolated event with no identified threat to the community.

 

This case is in its earliest stages and involves members of the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Field Force Division, and Victim Services Unit. St. Johnsbury police are providing assistance. The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team will respond Wednesday morning to process the location.

 

The victim’s body will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The names of the individuals involved will be released following further investigation and notification of relatives.

 

Anyone with information that could assist investigators in this case is asked to call the Vermont State Police in St. Johnsbury at 802-748-3111. Tips also may be submitted anonymously online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit. 

 

No other details are currently available. VSP will provide updates as the investigation evolves.

 

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