2 brothers kill their 2 parents in NH/trial begins
Jen1orbit
Hello,
A most fascinating family murder case is about to go to trial in New
Hampshire. Two brothers, Robert and Jeffrey Dingman, aged 17 and 14,
respectively, are accused of killing their parents. The trial of the older
brother, Robert, is set to begin next week, and the younger brother has
pled guilty and will testify against his brother, in exchange for a more
lenient sentence.
Robert and Jeffrey took turns shooting both parents to death, first
killing their father when he returned home from work, then killing mom
when she got home from work a little while later. The two boys then
wrapped the bodies in plastic bags & stored them in the attic and
basement, one body upstairs, the other downstairs. The next schoolday, the
boys both returned to school and told anyone who asked that their parents
had gone on a spur-of-the-moment vacation. Ha! That's beautiful!
The teens put on rubber gloves prior to the killings, indicating
tactical intelligence and pre-meditation. According to this news report,
both brothers took turns with one gun, each pumping bullets into both
parents. The younger of the two brothers, then 14 years old, apparently
shot both parents first, then handed the gun off to the older 17 year old
brother, who finished the job by pumping more bullets into each parent.
Now that's what I call teamwork! :)
We also get some very good quotes from Robert, reflective of his true
reality. This case got very little coverage until now, hopefully now that
the trial is about to begin the media will properly cover this fascinating
case. I see parallels to the Erik and Lyle Menendez case over in CA. If
the media were not so obsessed with class and wealth, this case would
generate just as much publicity as Eric & Lyle did.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - For a few days after their parents were murdered,
the Dingman brothers stuck together and to their story.
Robert, then 17, and Jeffrey, 14, stayed overnight at a friend's party
that weekend. On Monday, they returned to school, telling anyone who asked
that their parents had taken a spur-of-the-moment vacation.
They aren't cooperating anymore.
Prosecutors say the boys took turns shooting Eve and Vance Dingman,
wrapping the bodies in plastic bags and stashing them in the attic and
basement.
Jury selection begins Tuesday for Robert's first-degree murder trial and
Jeffrey, now 15, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to
testify against his brother.
In exchange for his testimony, prosecutors propose a sentence of 30 years
to life in prison, which would make Jeffrey eligible for release in 18
years.
His testimony could send his older brother to prison for life with no
chance of parole.
But Robert's lawyers argue that Jeffrey is an unreliable witness who has
``demonstrated a willingness and ability to accuse another for actions he
himself committed.''
They point to conflicting stories Jeffrey told in the days following the
Feb. 9, 1996, murders in which he first denied any involvement and later
said Robert made him shoot their parents.
According to court documents, Jeffrey is expected to testify that his
brother had stolen money from his parents the day before the murders.
The next morning, Robert told Jeffrey that their parents knew he had taken
the money. He said they would get more money if they killed their parents,
and he asked his brother to help.
That Friday evening, they put on rubber gloves and waited for their
parents, both 40, to arrive home from work. As their father climbed the
stairs, Jeffrey fired a .22-caliber handgun. Authorities say Robert then
took the gun and shot again. They say the two repeated the scene when
their mother got home, this time in the living room.
That evening, Robert told his girlfriend he no longer had a problem with
his curfew.
Two weeks earlier, Robert was even more direct, prosecutors say, asking
his girlfriend if she would still love him if he killed someone and
bragging to friends about his plans to kill his parents.
``Jail is the life,'' he allegedly said. ``I could kill my parents, take
some money, go to jail, have three squares a day, lift weights, and play
basketball.''
In a motion to have Robert's statements to his friends barred from his
trial, public defender Caroline Smith contends he made them jokingly and
``in the context of (his) interest in rap music.''
Others say he wanted to be in a gang and talked about drive-by shootings.
Police Officer Anthony Macaione says Robert told him he considered himself
a ``wigger,'' slang for a white person who emulates black culture.
Macaione went to Spaulding High School to interview Robert after Mrs.
Dingman's co-workers at a small factory in Hampton reported that she had
not come to work.
Robert told the officer he didn't know where his parents were.
``Hey, what's the problem, I'm seventeen years old,'' Robert said. ``I'm
old enough to take care of my brother when my parents are gone. I don't
see what the big deal is.''
Macaione says Robert agreed to allow police to search the home, and while
the boys waited in the kitchen, two detectives made a discovery.
``What's in the bags in the attic?'' Detective Stacy Gilman asked Robert.
Robert said he didn't know what they were talking about. ``He was just
nonchalant, stretched out, carefree,'' Macaione said.
Since their arrests, the brothers have appeared in court together only
once. The judge had deputies go to great lengths to prevent the two from
making eye contact.
AP-NY-05-04-97