23-05-2025
Scott signs bill adding felony charge for abuse of a corpse
Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law Thursday that would make it a felony to destroy or abuse a corpse, a measure created in the wake of the 2024 murder an Enosburg woman.
Roberta Martin, 82, was reported missing on July 17, 2024. Her burned remains were found five days later in a wooded area not far from her home. On July 25, Vermont State Police arrested Darren Martell, 23, who was living in the camper near Martin's home.
Court documents say a forensics examination 'preliminarily determined' that a DNA sample of sperm taken from Martin's remains were a match for Martell's DNA. Martell has been held without bail on a charge of aggravated murder since his arrest.
Unauthorized removal or burial of corpse is already a felony in Vermont. House Bill 41 — which has been called 'Roberta's Law' — creates a new felony statute for anyone who destroys a corpse without legal authority. Doing so to conceal a crime would add additional felony penalties, according to the bill.
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