Vermont Considers Tougher Penalties for Abuse of Corpse in Homicide Cases

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont Governor Phil Scott is considering a new bill aimed at increasing felony penalties for those accused of abusing a corpse. This proposal arises as the state grapples with a troubling rise in homicide rates.

Authorities report a surge in violent crime this spring. Vermont State Police Maj. Jeremy Hill noted, “Unfortunately, we’re kind of on track for what we normally see.” Since the start of May, the police have launched investigations into three separate homicides and dealt with two additional cases from April.

Hill commented on the changing crime patterns, saying, “At the beginning of the year — I hate to say it — it was kind of slow, and that has since changed.” The state has seen a notable uptick in homicide cases, with 25 in 2022, 27 in 2023, and 23 reported last year, a stark contrast to pre-pandemic numbers that were typically in the teens.

Notably, this year’s homicides seem increasingly tied to narcotics, diverging from past trends where domestic incidents were prevalent. “A lot of our homicides used to be domestic-related — we still have a lot of tragic homicides involving domestics — but this year it seems to be more related to narcotics,” Hill explained.

An alarming trend in some cases involves dismemberment or attempts to dispose of bodies. Criminology professor Penny Shtull from Norwich University attributed this to motives like anger or mental illness. She stated, “Most people who do these crimes are doing it because they want to hide, conceal, or destroy evidence.” Shtull noted that while dismemberment is rare, it remains a concern.

The new felony for abusing a dead body, including dismemberment or sexual assault, would take effect on July 1. This potential legislative change reflects the state’s serious approach to addressing the complexities surrounding recent homicide trends.