Defense says state did a sloppy probe; state says defense strategy was a rumor mill

Double-murder suspect Timothy Verrill of Dover looks on during closing arguments by lead prosecutor Peter Hinkley earlier today. (Court TV screenshot)

DOVER - Closing arguments in the Timothy Verrill double-murder trial ended this afternoon with the defense accusing prosecutors of turning a blind eye to alternative suspects, while the state argued their case was driven by "facts and evidence," not rumors and innuendo that they said Verrill's defense team resorted to in an effort to muddy the waters.
Verrill, 41, formerly of Belknap Street in Dover, is charged in the Jan. 27, 2017, killing of Christine Sullivan, 48, of Farmington; and Jenna Pellegrini, 32, of Barrington. Both were found dead of multiple stab wounds.

Christine Sullivan, Timothy Verrill, Jenna Pellegrini

The women's bodes were found wrapped in a tarp under a stairwell leading to an upstairs hot tub porch at 979 Meaderboro Road in Farmington on Jan. 29, 2017, two days after the state alleges Verrill stabbed them both to death.
Defense lawyer Julia M. Nye told a packed courtroom that the state's investigation was mismanaged and myopic.
"They ignored DNA that didn't fit," she said. "And they ignored evidence that turned away from Tim."
Nye also argued that the state allowed testimony from Joshua Colwell, a former member of the Mountain Men Motorcycle Club, to shift their attention and suspicions wholly to Verrill, and that they also ignored the potential involvement in the killings by Dean Smoronk, the head of the Farmington drug enterprise.
"Police turned a blind eye when it comes to Josh and Dean," Nye argued. "The police probe was skewed by Josh and Dean."
"There's no murder weapon, no DNA matches on women, no bloody clothing belonging to Tim," Nye said. "And you can't can't rule out the number of perpetrators"
Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley called the defense's strategy "wholly disassociated from actual evidence."
"The defense strategy was all about speculation, insinuation, and facts devoid of factual basis," he argued. "The defendant was the only person who was with them that night. He is seen going into the (surveillance camera) control room and soon after the cameras went off. He threw his phone away; who throws away a cellphone with all the data on it?"

Hinckley added that Verrill's prints were all over the murder scene.
"It was the defendant who killed these women, not some mystery person or a bogeyman. Rumors are being peddled as evidence, a rumor mill running rampant. It's rumors vs. facts and evidence."
Strafford Superior Court Judge Mark E. Howard will give the jury their final instructions this afternoon after which they will begin deliberations.
Verrill stands charged with five counts of falsifying physical evidence and two alternative counts of first degree murder and alternative counts of second degree murder.
A first degree murder conviction would mean the crime was premeditated and deliberate, while a second degree murder conviction would mean it was done recklessly with no premeditation.
Verrill has been incarcerated since February 2017 when he was arrested in Massachusetts. His first trial in 2019 ended in a mistrial after it was learned the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit had failed to turn over massive amounts of evidence, some of which was exculpatory, meaning it may have benefited the defense.