[T]wo additional suspects have been identified in the shooting death of 23-year-old Benzell Hampton in Burlington’s Old North End, after four individuals were arrested in connection with the death late last week.
Burlington police announced Monday that during the investigation into the “circumstances of the flight” of the original four suspects, Angeline Pearson-Fitzpatrick and Takesha Thomas were determined to have provided aid to two of the suspects from the shooting.
The women allegedly provided transportation, booked hotel rooms, and discarded clothing used by Johnny Ford and Brandon Sanders, two of the four individuals allegedly involved in the shooting on North Willard Street.
Ford and Sanders, along with Lesine Woodson and James Felix, will be charged with second-degree murder for the incident, according to a press release from Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo.
As Benzell Hampton was completing a drug deal with a resident of 235 North Willard St. last week, Felix, Sanders and Ford allegedly attacked him in the driveway of the residence, police say, with Woodson acting as their driver. The motive for the attack remains under investigation.
Pearson-Fitzpatrick and Thomas were arrested and processed after being interviewed late Friday afternoon, according to a police press release. The release notes that both women have been charged with “accessory after the fact” for the assistance they provided to Ford and Sanders.
The women are being held at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail, and will be arraigned in Chittenden Superior Court Tuesday morning.