Lebanon, New Hampshire - July 6, 2011
Only one witness took the stand Wednesday at the probable cause hearing for Robert Lacombe Jr. He's accused of two counts of second-degree murder. Police say Lacombe shot his two roommates, William Hatch, 24, and Crystal Farnham, 23, after getting into a fight about their current living arrangement in Grafton. According to court papers, Hatch wanted Lacombe out of the house. Court records show that Lacombe admitted to a family member that he pulled the trigger.
N.H. Assistant Attorney General James Vara: He indicated that he shot his friend is that correct?
N.H. State Police Det. Sara Howard: Yes.
Vara: He also indicated that he shot her, is that correct?
Howard: Yes.
Vara: Being another person?
Howard: Yes, he stated 23 and 24-years-old, I shot them both.
Lacombe was arrested at a hotel in Massachusetts after the bodies were found. Prosecutors say police found two guns in his hotel room and a handwritten suicide note.
"In the note Mr. Lacombe apologized to his family and William, he referred to him as Will, and Crystal's family. He said he was sorry and he hoped God forgave him," Howard said.
But exactly what happened in the Grafton apartment remains unclear. According to court papers, Lacombe said he killed the couple in self-defense. And during Wednesday's hearing defense attorney Caroline Smith implied that it was actually Hatch who was the aggressor.
Smith: So, he did say that William he shot because William came at him with a gun. Is that right?
Howard: Correct.
"We will meet whatever defense is presented at trial and present evidence on that. It's our burden to disprove self-defense at trial," N.H. Assistant Attorney General Jeff Strelzine said.
The judge found that there is probable cause for the second-degree murder charges. This case will now head to the grand jury for a formal indictment. In the meantime, Lacombe is being held without bail.
Added security was on hand for Wednesday's hearing. Family members of the victims declined comment on their way out of court.
Adam Sullivan - WCAX News
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