Nearly four months after the bodies of Dartmouth professors Half and Susanne Zantop were discovered by a friend in their Hanover, N.H., home, prosecutors are continuing to develop the case against defendant Robert Tulloch.
Tulloch, 17, was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder on May 1. He pleaded innocent on both counts.
The N.H. Attorney General filed a motion to obtain blood and hair samples from Tulloch, who remains in jail. The defendant's attorney, Richard Guerriero, filed an objection to the state's motion, to which the state argues that "sufficient facts exist to support the state's request for blood and hair samples and a handwriting exemplar."
The state cited much of the evidence that suggests Tulloch's involvement in the double homicide.
"Inside the defendant's bedroom, crime scene processors seized two SOG Seal 2000 knives that were stored in makeshift sheaths wrapped in duct tape," the state's argument reported. "On one knife, DNA consistent with the DNA of Susanne Zantop was detected. On the other knife, a mixture of DNA consistent with the DNA of Half and Susanne Zantop was detected."
The statement also divulges the discovery of blood-stained footprints in the Zantop home that matched a pair of boots obtained from the defendant and fingerprints matching those of the defendant.
The state is seeking the defendant's blood and hair samples to compare them with hair from an unknown source that was found on a chair in the Zantop home and blood from an unidentified male that was discovered on the defendant's boot.
While being interviewed by investigators in February, Tulloch said a cut on his right leg was caused by his falling on a maple syrup tap. However, the state's argument explains that "three days after the homicide, the defendant admitted to his girlfriend that he obtained the wound by dropping a hunting knife on his right leg."
The schedule for the upcoming trial is yet to be determined. Assistant Attorney General Michael Delaney said yesterday that he expects a status conference will be held within the next month to discuss scheduling matters.
Tulloch's alleged accomplice, James Parker, is also a suspect in the murder. Another footwear impression detected in the Zantop home matched boots obtained from Parker and DNA obtained from blood found on the floor mat of a Subaru registered to Parker's parents matched the DNA of Susanne Zantop.
Parker, 16, is a juvenile under N.H. law. With respect to the case against Parker, Delaney said yesterday that "there are confidential juvenile procedures pending."
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