Vermont State Police Press Release
Death Investigation at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, VT
Springfield, VT - 8/28/14 - Yesterday at approximately 9:35PM, the Vermont State Police received a call regarding a death of an inmate at the Southern State Correctional Facility (SSCF) in Springfield, VT. A detective from the Vermont State Police Criminal Division in D Troop responded to the correctional facility to investigate.
The inmate, identified as Sylvester Labartino age 71 of Hubbardton, VT, was awaiting trial for the murders of Christopher and Shane Plummer on February 12, 2014 in the town of Hubbardton. Labartino had been incarcerated since his arrest.
Upon initial investigation, detectives learned that Labartino had recently been diagnosed with a serious medical condition, and had a history of other debilitating medical disorders. Labartino's condition had been worsening and was admitted to the infirmary at SSCF on August 20, 2014.
The Windsor County State's Attorney was notified, along with the area medical examiner. Per protocol, the decedent was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy.
At this time, the death appears to be due to natural causes, and there are no signs of foul play; however the case is on-going pending additional investigation and the results of the autopsy.
Homicide Investigation On Wednesday, February 12, 2014 the Vermont State Police received a 911 call at approximately 1:37PM regarding a shooting incident at 578 VT Route 30 in Hubbardton, Vermont. Troopers from the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks, along with emergency medical personnel, responded immediately and located two male subjects deceased outside the residence.
The investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation led police to believe that the sole resident at 578 VT Route 30, identified as Sylvester Labartino, was involved in the incident. As a result officers were notified to be on the lookout for Labartino's vehicle, a white Ford Bronco; which was not at the residence. At approximately 2:22PM, that same day, the vehicle was observed by officers traveling north on VT Route 30 in the town of Castleton. Officers stopped this vehicle and identified the operator as Sylvester Labartino. Labartino was ultimately arrested and arraigned for the shooting deaths of Shane, age 57, and Christopher Plummer, age 26, both of West Haven VT. Shane and Christopher were father and son.
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Stephanie Dasaro | Vermont State Police - Public Information Officer
103 South Main Street | Waterbury, Vermont 05671
stephanie.dasaro@state.vt.us
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140829/NEWS01/708299965
Sylvester Labartino Published August 29, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Hubbardton murder suspect dies in jail By Brent Curtis staff writer SPRINGFIELD — A man accused of killing a West Haven father and son died in the Springfield prison while awaiting trial on two counts of second-degree murder. Sylvester Labartino, 71, of Hubbardton had been behind bars on $750,000 bail since his arrest Feb. 12, when Vermont State Police say he gunned down Shane Plummer, 57, and his son, Christopher Plummer, 26. Labartino had pleaded innocent to the murder charges against him and was awaiting trial in the Springfield prison when he died Wednesday night of what state police investigators and the commissioner of the state Department of Corrections believe were natural causes. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, state police said there were no signs of foul play in the death of Labartino who was taken to the prison’s infirmary on Aug. 20. The reason for the admittance to the infirmary wasn’t spelled out by police, who said only that Labartino “had recently been diagnosed with a serious medical condition and had a history of other debilitating medical disorders.” Police said the Windsor County state’s attorney was notified of Labartino’s death along with the local medical examiner. The detective sergeant handling the death investigation could not be reached for comment Thursday. Corrections Commissioner Andrew Pallito said Thursday night he could add little more due to federal privacy laws regarding medical care. “He came to us with health complications,” he said. “This has been an ongoing issue since he came, so it was anticipated that he was going to have an episode at some point.” What wasn’t expected was how quickly the Hubbardton man’s condition deteriorated Wednesday, he said. Usually, inmates are taken first to Springfield Hospital and then Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., if their medical conditions worsen beyond the prison’s ability to treat them. But in Labartino’s case, the commissioner said “the spiral was pretty quick.” “He died inside the facility before we could take him to the hospital,” he said. An autopsy was ordered for Labartino, whose death remains under investigation, the commissioner said. But based on what he knows of the situation, Pallito said, the death appeared to be from natural causes. “In this particular case there’s nothing that looks suspicious,” he said. “If he was a younger guy in better health it would be a different situation.” Labartino made reference to having serious heart and lung conditions in motions he filed on his own behalf in Rutland criminal court this spring and summer. State police investigators say Labartino shot and killed the two electricians who had come to perform maintenance work at his rental home on Route 30 after a two-day dispute with them and his landlord, Bill Gilbert. After the shooting, police said, Labartino walked into the woods two miles south of his home and left a rifle in the snow. Court records said Labartino felt “threatened” by the workers and police said they were called to the house twice before the shooting. Gilbert told police Labartino was “hostile” and a gun owner.
Rest his soul.
ReplyDelete.....and the two wonderful people he gunned down in cold blood.
DeleteAmen.
ReplyDelete