Man charged with murder in connection with body found in Holland
According to the Hampden District Attorney's Office, Jonathan Poirier was arraigned Monday in Palmer District Court and ordered held without bail in the death of 29-year-old Austin Schepper of Sturbridge.
Body found in Holland identified as 29-year-old Sturbridge man
Law enforcement officials were first called to the 100-block area of Union Road in Holland on the afternoon of February 26, where a heavy police presence was observed. Investigators later recovered a body at the scene, which was later identified as Schepper.
Following an investigation involving multiple agencies–including the State Police Detective Units assigned to both the Hampden and Worcester DA's Offices, as well as Sturbridge and Holland Police–Poirier was identified as the suspect and subsequently charged.
'We stand with the family and community of Holland as we continue to mourn the loss of Austin Schepper,' Hampden DA Anthony Gulluni said in a statement. 'Now, our attention turns to this case and seeking justice for the victim and his loved ones. I appreciate the efforts of the investigators, with whom we will continue to collaborate through the prosecution of this case.'
Poirier is facing one count of murder and is scheduled for his next court appearance on May 6.
The investigation remains ongoing, and 22News will continue to provide updates on this story as soon as new information becomes available.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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