Man held without bail following stabbing

A Chester man is being held without bail at Southern State Correctional Facility after entering a plea of not guilty to charges stemming from a stabbing in Springfield.

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2016-04-08 / Front Page Man held without bail following stabbing By Nancy A. Cavanaugh ncavanaugh@eagletimes.com Defendant Brian Butler of Chester (left) stands next to his lawyer, Michael Shane, (right) as he pleads not guilty to charges of attempted second degree murder, first degree domestic aggravated assault, and five counts of violations of conditions in Superior Court Windsor Unit after allegedly stabbing Bryana Goodrich of Springfield. — NANCY CAVANAUGH Defendant Brian Butler of Chester (left) stands next to his lawyer, Michael Shane, (right) as he pleads not guilty to charges of attempted second degree murder, first degree domestic aggravated assault, and five counts of violations of conditions in Superior Court Windsor Unit after allegedly stabbing Bryana Goodrich of Springfield. — NANCY CAVANAUGH WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. — A Chester man is being held without bail at Southern State Correctional Facility after entering a plea of not guilty to charges stemming from a stabbing in Springfield. On Wednesday afternoon, the area of 3 Wall St. became a crime scene when Brian Butler, 58, allegedly stabbed Bryana Goodrich, 42, of Springfield with what was described by the victim as a curved hunting knife. Butler was arraigned on April 7 in Superior Court Windsor Unit where he pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted second degree murder, first degree domestic aggravated assault, and five counts of violations of conditions. Judge Theresa DiMauro found probable cause and ordered Butler to be held without bail. If convicted, Butler could face a minimum of 20 years for the charge of attempted second degree murder, up to 15 years and/or a $25,000 fine for first degree domestic aggravated assault, and up to six months and/or a $1,000 fine for each of the five violations of conditions charges. According to the police affidavit, Goodrich had been stabbed in the liver and was unable to speak to police before the arraignment. She was transported to Springfield Hospital then was transported by DHART to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. “She underwent surgery last night,” said State Attorney David Cahill following the arraignment. “She is not conscious.” In early January, Butler had been charged with second degree aggravated domestic assault against Goodrich. He had been released on conditions, which included not going within 300 feet of the victim, not using alcohol and not possessing weapon. On March 24, Goodrich had testified against Butler in the domestic assault case and made other allegations, according to court papers. At about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Springfield police responded to 3 Wall St. for a call about a woman who was covered with blood. Upon arrival, Sgt. Gregory Molgano discovered Goodrich on the ground, covered with blood, according to the police affidavit. He asked her who had done this and Goodrich answered, “Brian Butler,” according to the affidavit. Tanya Lapre, who lives in the apartment above Goodrich, came outside when she heard Goodrich scream, “Help,” according to her affidavit. She also witnessed a man leaving the building wearing a blue coat and saw him walk around the back of the building. Police Officer Daniel Deslauries and his K-9 partner, Indy, were called to the scene to track Butler. They found him in front of Village Pizza on Main Street, 600 feet from the scene, wearing a blue coat, a backpack and carrying a plastic bag. When asked to identify himself, he told the officer his name, according to the police affidavit. Police Officer Anthony Leonard took Butler into custody. Video surveillance cameras outside the town hall had also captured video of a man walking down Main Street at around the time of the stabbing who was later identified as Butler by police, according to the affidavit. An affidavit from Shaun Cadorette, who lives in the same apartment as Goodrich, indicates that the day before the stabbing, Butler had threatened to kill both of them if Butler found Cadorette at her apartment. Cadorette further stated in the affidavit that he feared for the lives of himself, Goodrich and their family members. The weapon had not been found at the time of the arraignment. The Springfield Police Department were waiting for search warrants to examine the contents of a case that had been on Butler’s belt, the backpack and the plastic bag. In making the case for the state, Cahill laid out the reasons for their request for holding Butler without bail, which included Butler having three failures to appear, his having committed a felony crime of violence, his harassing a witness and that there was no combination of conditions that could protect the public as the restrictive conditions already handed down were not enough. During her response, DiMauro commented on the harassing a witness portion. “I think anyone would agree that stabbing a victim would constitute harassment,” she said. Judge DiMauro agreed with Cahill and found probable cause for all seven counts against Butler and ordered him to be held without bail.