ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. — A Vermont snowplow driver who wanted to “get a girl” was accused Wednesday along with his wife of luring a popular prep school teacher from her home by pretending their vehicle had broken down, beating and strangling her, stripping her body naked and throwing it into the Connecticut River.
Allen Prue, 30, and Patricia Prue, 33, of Waterford, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Melissa Jenkins, whose SUV was found idling along a remote road near her St. Johnsbury home on Sunday with her unharmed 2-year-old inside.
Police said Allen Prue was riding around on Sunday with his wife when he got the idea “to get a girl,” the affidavit said. “They didn’t plan to get one forcefully,” the police affidavit said.
Police gave no further details on a possible motive in the death of the 33-year-old teacher at the prestigious St. Johnsbury Academy. The Prues were ordered held without bail, and police said more charges were possible.
“They knew Miss Jenkins and had snowplowed her driveway a couple of years ago,” Vermont State Police Maj. Ed Ledo said at a news conference announcing the arrests.
A friend told police that Allen Prue had asked Jenkins out a couple of times and that she felt uncomfortable around him, according to the documents. She stopped having him plow, and in autumn 2011 he showed up drunk at her home asking if he could plow her driveway the following year.
After the court appearance, Allen Prue’s mother, Donna Prue, said that her son has never been in trouble with the law before and that she has faith he didn’t commit the crime.
“I do not believe he would ever do this, because he didn’t have it in him. I have nothing against her (Patricia); I don’t have nothing bad to say about either one,” said Donna Prue, who lives with the couple and her daughter. She said she did not know Jenkins.
Police were called Sunday night after Jenkins’ son was found alone in her vehicle.
Her former boyfriend told police she called him saying that she had gotten a weird call from a couple who used to plow her driveway and that she was going to help them. She wanted someone to know what she was doing, the documents say.
When he couldn’t reach her two hours later, he went to check on her. He told police he found her vehicle, with her son sleeping in it, and one of her shoes nearby.
Allen Prue later told police that Patricia Prue called Jenkins and told her they had broken down near her home.
The death of the well-loved science teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy, once attended by President Calvin Coolidge, reverberated through the town of 6,200 in northeastern Vermont about 40 miles south of the Canadian border.
Sound like 1st degree murder……Something that a hanging should be appropriate for, if convicted.
When convicted, slow hanging.
I hope that we can all learn something from this senseless act of violence. This woman contacted someone, to tell them what she was going to be doing, because something probably didn’t feel right to her. While the ideal situation would have been that she didn’t go, and she’d hopefully be fine right now, that’s obviously not what happened.
What did happen though, is the police had an idea in which direction to start their investigation. By her calling her ex-boyfriend, telling him who called, and what the situation was, time was saved, and hopefully evidence not destroyed.
If something out of the ordinary, that doesn’t feel quite right comes up, listen to your instincts, and don’t go. If that isn’t an option for whatever reason, PLEASE let someone know what’s going on, who you’re with, and where you’ll be.
My heart goes out to this woman’s family, friends, colleagues, and students. I hope that her little boy has a great support system, and is raised with all the love his mother had for him.
You can hear the banjo playing.