GUILTY VT - Melissa Jenkins, 33, St Johnsbury, 25 March 2012

[Juno]

The affidavit is terrifying!!!!!

 

[Reannan]

Affidavit: http://blackpearl.wcax.com/documents/PrueAffidavit.pdf

Oh wow.... The whole thing makes me sick, but the information on page 5 of 8, section 18, confuses me. The phone call from Melissa to her friend about getting a strange phone call was made at '2038' - 8:38 pm.... the witness who sighted the Prue's car at 'the bridge' on Goss Hollow Road with the driver (apparently, AP), pacing outside and a female (apparently, PP) in the passenger seat, was made at 'approximately 2051 (8:51 pm). Can someone place this on the map that we have going??? Why did they make this stop??? BTW, cudo's to the detective that wrote this affidavit! He did a very professional job!!!

 

[katydid23]

I wish Melissa and listened to her gut and NOT gone to help them. She knew it was a problem because she called her ex to tell him where she was going. That makes me so sad. It was her niceness and compassion that won over her suspicions. I feel so bad. :rose:

 

[redsky]

They owned a towing company as well? Melissa clearly had a kind heart. I am glad she gave the information about where she was going but it's so tragic.

 

[Melanie]

I'm thoroughly confused. Why were they charged with 2nd degree murder?

Second-degree murder is ordinarily defined as 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable "heat of passion"

This murder was methodically planned out by way of phone calls and luring the victim to the scene.

It's quite obvious from the LE's report that this was a "lying in wait" form of 1st degree murder.

The aggravating factors of first degree murder are a specific intent to kill, premeditation, and deliberation. In addition, murder committed by acts such as strangulation, poisoning, or lying in wait are also treated as first degree murder.[5]

So what gives?

The Prues appeared in court Wednesday in St. Johnsbury where they pleaded not guilty to charges of 2nd degree murder in the death of Melissa Jenkins. They were ordered held without bail.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/arti...d-in-Vt-woman-death-3440831.php#ixzz1qSHN55dI

 

[bdmama]

http://blackpearl.wcax.com/documents/PrueAffidavit.pdf

 

[SyraKelly]

I'm thoroughly confused. Why were they charged with 2nd degree murder?

Second-degree murder is ordinarily defined as 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable "heat of passion"

This murder was methodically planned out by way of phone calls and luring the victim to the scene.

It's quite obvious from the LE's report that this was a "lying in wait" form of 1st degree murder.

The aggravating factors of first degree murder are a specific intent to kill, premeditation, and deliberation. In addition, murder committed by acts such as strangulation, poisoning, or lying in wait are also treated as first degree murder.[5]

So what gives?

The Prues appeared in court Wednesday in St. Johnsbury where they pleaded not guilty to charges of 2nd degree murder in the death of Melissa Jenkins. They were ordered held without bail.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/arti...d-in-Vt-woman-death-3440831.php#ixzz1qSHN55dI

ITA-This is clearly at pre-med murder-I am going to see if I can e-mail someone connected to this case and ask why-will let you all know if I get an answer.

 

[bdmama]

Disgusting, sick pieces of *****!! I seriously do not understand what makes people do this, I just thank god that little boy is young enough to be able to forget what he saw happen to his mommy. My heart breaks for her family

 

[Melanie]

They owned a towing company as well? Melissa clearly had a kind heart. I am glad she gave the information about where she was going but it's so tragic.

My heart just breaks for her and her son, and for her kind friends who knew something was out of the ordinary.

You can't tell me this isn't the first time this couple hasn't done something like this. No way! Can you imagine your spouse saying to you "I want a girl"? Hello? I believe if LE looks into their background/patterns/movements they will find other victims along the way.

IMHO they should have charged them with 1st degree murder with an option of a plea to 2nd degree if they gave up any and all information.

But again, that's just MO. May those two rot in hell where they belong.

Thanks,

Mel

 

[CharlestonGal]

I would bet my last dollar this is NOT the first time these two have done this. Too much planning and preparation.

This time, the victim got the last word and took them down. There are other victims; I guarantee it.

 

[No Stone Unturned]

Allen is willing to admit everything (well he did leave out the sexual assault) and lead LE to all locations involved. Patricia denies it was her check, her birthdate, and even her image on the security camera.

The affidavit has me re-thinking my involvement with cases like these. It is truly horrifying and haunting. I'm already having nightmares that people like this exist, and I am still awake! It just keeps re-playing in my head.

Like most sleuthers, I like to problem solve. I want to help in any way possible. That is why I come here when I see something on CNN. But, after this one, I don't want to come. I want to bury my head in the sand like an ostrich.

 

[Inspector Gidget]

I think the mother of Allen Prue needs to shut up,mom needs to stop protecting her killer son.To add to that I doubt if this is his first time either.This crime was a thrill crime for them and I hope they rot in jail and worse.

I bet those detectives separated those two in a room and they sang like a canary against each other."Get A Girl" that is so horrifying.

May Melissa rest in peace.

 

[Reannan]

I'm thoroughly confused. Why were they charged with 2nd degree murder?

Second-degree murder is ordinarily defined as 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable "heat of passion"

This murder was methodically planned out by way of phone calls and luring the victim to the scene.

It's quite obvious from the LE's report that this was a "lying in wait" form of 1st degree murder.

The aggravating factors of first degree murder are a specific intent to kill, premeditation, and deliberation. In addition, murder committed by acts such as strangulation, poisoning, or lying in wait are also treated as first degree murder.[5]

So what gives?

The Prues appeared in court Wednesday in St. Johnsbury where they pleaded not guilty to charges of 2nd degree murder in the death of Melissa Jenkins. They were ordered held without bail.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/arti...d-in-Vt-woman-death-3440831.php#ixzz1qSHN55dI

It does seem like this can't be their first murder because they planned it out, but at the same time, they were SO STUPID about everything involved with this murder!!! And then, AP spilled his guts early on, so I don't know - I am on the fence. DEFINITELY other unsolved murders in the area need to be investigated, and I would put the grandmother who was strangled right at the top of my list to investigate. I can see these two twisted people thinnking it would be cool to just kill someone who they KNEW they could overcome and subdue. UGHGHH!!!! I am so angry right now. Going to take a break. :banghead:

 

[Inspector Gidget]

They owned a towing company as well? Melissa clearly had a kind heart. I am glad she gave the information about where she was going but it's so tragic.

I bet ya they won't have a towing company or snow plow jobs after this,nobody is going to want to have anything to do with them.I bet they are the most hated people in Vermont.

 

[RT51]

The Vermont Statutes Online
Title 13: Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Chapter 53: HOMICIDE




§ 2301. Murder-Degrees defined

Murder committed by means of poison, or by lying in wait, or by wilful, deliberate and premeditated killing, or committed in perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate arson, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, robbery or burglary, shall be murder in the first degree. All other kinds of murder shall be murder in the second degree. (Amended 1983, No. 28, § 1.)


§ 2302. Determination of degree

The jury by whom a person is tried for murder, if it finds such person guilty thereof, shall state in its verdict whether it is murder in the first or in the second degree. If such person is convicted on confession in open court, the court, by examination of witnesses, shall determine the degree of the crime and give sentence accordingly.

bbm So the jury can decide. Maybe if they go for the 1st right off, the jury can decide not 1st degree and they would get off. By going with the 2nd degree, they can at least get them convicted and hope the jury ups the degree. Also stated that 2nd degree is a minimum of 35 years.

 

[maggieo]

It does seem like this can't be their first murder because they planned it out, but at the same time, they were SO STUPID about everything involved with this murder!!! And then, AP spilled his guts early on, so I don't know - I am on the fence. DEFINITELY other unsolved murders in the area need to be investigated, and I would put the grandmother who was strangled right at the top of my list to investigate. I can see these two twisted people thinnking it would be cool to just kill someone who they KNEW they could overcome and subdue. UGHGHH!!!! I am so angry right now. Going to take a break. :banghead:

I agree -- this is such a weird case -- they are so incredibly vicious and cold and blase that you think they must have done it tons of times (plus all the unsolved cases around them). But then you see all the stupid mistakes they made, and you can't imagine how they would have gotten away with it before. But what married couple randomly decides to kill someone like this? It's just very weird.

And the wife is the one coldly denying everything. Could she be the instigator? Gah.

 

[paris_paris]

I hadn't read about Maura Murray before this. She went missing so close to this location... right down the highway. She asked that police not be called... so who do you trust? A tow truck driver.

Maybe he's done this before. And maybe together they had no luck finding a stranded motorist, so had to set it up.

I was sure when I saw the picture of Melissa's vehicle there was some damage to it. Will go look for it again.

 

[PHB]

JMO, but considering how inept they were, I bet this is their first murder. I could see AP having molestation victims come forward, or girls he roofied/raped or something, though.

 

[passionflower]

I would bet my last dollar this is NOT the first time these two have done this. Too much planning and preparation.

This time, the victim got the last word and took them down. There are other victims; I guarantee it.

This in a way reminds me of wicked Karla Homolka and husband paul bernardo.
'get a girl'...............:banghead:

 

[amysmom]

Melissa even took the business card with her in the vehicle. It almost sounds like this, coupled with the prior phone conversation with the friend that she feared something was out of the ordinary and could happen.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/melissa-jenkins-son-mommy-cried-pulled-neck/story?id=16019048

This FREAK couple destroyed so many lives! :banghead:

"Now that she's gone, it's like, I don't know how to go on," Ally Ambrose, a junior who had Jenkins as a physics teacher, told the Burlington Free Press. "I don't know how class is going to be anymore."