Holyoke, Massachusetts Man, Sentenced To 40 Years Imprisonment for the Murder of Melissa Barratt and Drug Distribution Conspiracy

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated today that Chief Judge Christina Reiss in U.S. District Court in Burlington sentenced Frank Caraballo, 32, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, to 40 years imprisonment on his conviction for firearm and drug conspiracy charges, including a firearm charge relating to the murder of Melissa Barratt. The United States sought a term of life imprisonment and argued that such a term was fair and just sentence for Caraballo’s execution style murder of Melissa Barratt, who was 32 at the time. Chief Judge Reiss also sentenced Caraballo to a lifetime of supervised release which will follow Caraballo’s service of the 40-year term of imprisonment.

Melissa Barratt's body was discovered in a wooded area off East West Road in Dummerston, Vermont on July 29, 2011. Caraballo was eventually charged in federal court with various drug and firearm offenses, including using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense and causing the murder of Melissa Barratt. The drug conspiracy charge involved crack cocaine, cocaine powder, and heroin. According to witness testimony at trial, immediately after Caraballo was released from jail in Hampden County Massachusetts in mid-March 2011 and continuing to July 29, 2011, when he was arrested by Vermont State Police, Caraballo regularly traveled from Holyoke, Massachusetts to southern Vermont with substantial amounts of narcotics and distributed them. Melissa Barratt assisted Caraballo in the sale of some of these drugs. On July 28, 2011, Caraballo accused Barratt of stealing a significant amount of drugs from his room at the Super 8 motel in Brattleboro. When Barratt did not return the drugs, Caraballo took her to Dummerston and shot her in the head.

After a three week trial beginning in mid-September 2013, the jury convicted Caraballo on the firearm and drug conspiracy counts. Though the jury found that Caraballo caused the death of Melissa Barratt, they did not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Caraballo discharged the weapon that caused Barratt’s death. This distinction, however, did not change the maximum sentence of life that Caraballo could potentially receive. In its sentencing memorandum, the government argued that Caraballo was an “unrepentant criminal” who “deserves life for a cold blooded murder while being a career drug trafficker.”

This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), the Vermont State Police, and the Southeast Vermont Drug Task Force. The United States Attorney commends the exemplary work of the state and federal law enforcement agencies jointly investigating this matter. For example, the ATF played a critical role in investigating and successfully prosecuting the firearm offenses, which included the murder and two drug-for-gun trades. ATF diligently searched records of multiple gun stores in the area and eventually identified multiple firearms obtained by Caraballo in drug-for-gun trades as well as the individuals involved in the trades. The firearms included: (1) a Glock 9mm that was eventually used in the murder; and, (2) a .357 Desert Eagle handgun. Three of the individuals involved in trading these firearms to Caraballo for narcotics were prosecuted and convicted. Simultaneous with ATF’s work, the Vermont State Police continued to develop strong evidence supporting both the murder and drug conspiracy charges.

In addition, the United States Attorney stated that the investigation was greatly facilitated by the assistance of the office of Windham County State=s Attorney Tracy Kelly Shriver and Deputy State’s Attorney Steven Brown.

The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Van de Graaf and Joseph Perella. Caraballo is represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq. of Burlington and Natasha Sen, Esq. of Brandon.

This Week's 'Fugitive of the Week' Arrested in Hooksett

Concord, NH – Last night, this week’s “Fugitive of the Week,” Jonathan Benedict was arrested in Hooksett, NH by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Benedict, 28, was last known to reside in Concord, NH, and was being sought on an outstanding Merrimack County warrant for probation violations, stemming from an original conviction for burglary. Additionally, Benedict has a suspended 2-4 year sentence out of Belknap County for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Belknap County attorney has filed a motion to impose this suspended sentence as a result of Benedict’s violations.

As part of the U.S. Marshals fugitive investigation, Benedict was selected to be featured as this week’s “Fugitive of the Week” on October 30th. The “Fugitive of the Week” is broadcast on WTPL-FM, WMUR-TV, The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Foster’s Daily Democrat and is prominently featured on the internet. The “Fugitive of the Week” has been a very successful tool that has resulted in the location and arrest of numerous fugitives since its implementation in 2007.

Several tips came in to the fugitive task force after Benedict was featured as the “Fugitive of the Week.” All of these tips were investigated and eventually led investigators to an apartment building in Hooksett on Route 3A. While conducting interviews at this apartment building, Benedict arrived in a car with a friend. Members of the fugitive task force quickly apprehended Benedict without incident, while he was seated in this car. Benedict was transported to the Merrimack County Jail, were he is being held without bail on his probation violations warrant pending his initial court appearance.

Several member agencies of the NH Joint Fugitive Task Force assisted in this investigation, including; deputies from the Merrimack and Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Belknap County Attorney’s Office, the Pittsfield and Barnstead Police Departments, along with deputy U.S. Marshals. Without the combined efforts of all of these agencies, and the tips from the public, this arrest would not have been possible.

Since the inception of the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have resulted in over 5,801 arrests (Updated as of 08/13/2014). These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, 7 regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.

Sex Offender Round Up Nets 8 Arrests

San Juan, PR - This morning the United States Marshals Service led Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force Sex Offender’s Investigations team, in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Police Department’s Sex Offenders Division, conducted Operation “Safe Halloween”.

During the operation, a total of eight noncompliance sex offenders were arrested throughout the island and four more were criminally charged and are now been sought for arrest.

Welbon Salaam was one of the sex offenders arrested during the operation. Salaam was convicted in North Carolina for charges involving a minor and he is also wanted in the State of Georgia for avoiding sex registration laws. In addition Salaam was arrested as recently as January of this year in the State of Washington, for luring a minor into a van. Salaam will be facing extradition procedures to the State of Georgia. All eight arrests were made without incident.

“This is a crucial part of the U.S. Marshals Sex Offender investigations mission for which we diligently seek and arrest those who choose to travel to Puerto Rico to elude their requirements to register as convicted sex offenders,” said Orlando Rivera, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Marshals Service has three key missions under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006: (1) to assist state, local, tribal and territorial authorities in the location and apprehension of noncompliant sex offenders, (2) to investigate violations of the criminal provisions of the Adam Walsh Act, and (3) to identify and locate displaced sex offenders resulting from a major disaster. Since January 2009, the USMS has partnered with law enforcement personnel from more than 3,000 state and local agencies to coordinate and execute sex offender compliance/enforcement operations throughout the country.