Saturday, May 19, 2001

Dartmouth murder trial may face more delays

By HARRY R. WEBERAP Writer

CONCORD - A hearing to determine if a teen-ager accused of killing two Dartmouth College professors will be tried as an adult could be delayed several months, a defense lawyer said Friday.

"We want the certification process to be continued until the fall to allow the defense an opportunity to evaluate the evidence and to test it independently of the state?s findings," said Doug Brown, a San Diego lawyer who represents 16-year-old James Parker.

Brown, who spent two days in New Hampshire this week meeting with his client and Parker?s family, said prosecutors seemed open to the request, though as far as he knew an exact date had not been set. A hearing had been set for May 14, but that was postponed, Brown said. Parker will be moved to an adult jail after he turns 17 on Thursday, Brown said.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, the lead prosecutor in the case, declined to comment on when a hearing would be held, though she said it is not unusual when juveniles are charged with murder for the entire certification process to take up to nine months.

Parker and Robert Tulloch, 18, both of Chelsea, Vt., are charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 27 stabbing deaths of Half and Susanne Zantop in their Hanover home. Investigators have not identified a motive, though they are considering burglary gone awry or thrill killing as possibilities.

Meanwhile, Tulloch is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday at which a trial date could be set. Tulloch?s lawyer, Richard Guerriero, said there also will be arguments at the hearing on a prosecution request that Tulloch give blood, hair and handwriting samples. Prosecutors want to compare the blood and hair to evidence found at the scene and the handwriting samples to notes found in Tulloch?s bedroom that referred to the surveillance of a building.

-----