A Vermont man has been charged in the murder and dismemberment of an eldery man he was supposedly taking care of in the man’s home.
The murder reportedly took place in February but was not reported to investigators until this week, WPTZ reported. He has also been charged with giving false information to a police officer.
Justin Stacy pleaded not guilty to the murder of 75-year-old Robert Francis during a hearing on Wednesday and was ordered held without bond pending a weight of evidence hearing.
Court documents say Stacy’s brother, Brian Stacy, reported the murder to police on Monday. The two brothers were living at Francis’s home in Whittingham at the time of the murder.
Brian Stacy told police he heard his brother and Francis having some kind of altercation on the morning of February 10 and came downstairs to find his brother attacking Francis. He said he left the house, and when he came back hours later, his brother told him he had killed the older man.
Brian Stacy also told police he saw Francis’s dismembered body in the basement and saw his brother burning the man’s remains in an outdoor firepit.
Justin Stacy told police that Francis hurt himself while attacking him and then asked Stacy to let him die because of pain he suffered from medical issues.
According to WCAX, Stacy gave several different explanations for Francis’s death, changing the story more than once.
Stacy was previously charged with simple assault in 2022 after he threw a cell phone at Francis and injured him. He gave police varying stories about that incident, according to WPTX.
He told police he met Francis several years ago and that they a “grandfather and granson” type relationship. Francis owned the home where they lived, and Justin took care of Francis, who had limited mobility and used a wheelchair.
The court documents did not say why Brian Stacy waited until May to report a murder that took place in February. They also did not say if Francis’s remains had been found or identified. WCAX reported that Brian Stacy had become increasingly concerned about his brother’s behavior.
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[Featured image: Justin Stacy/Vermont State Police]