Timothy Verrill faces 2nd trial for murder of two women: What happened, what to expect

DOVER — Seven years after he was charged with the murder of two women in Farmington, a second trial for Timothy Verrill is set to begin.

Verrill, now 41, has been held in custody since 2017 on two charges of second-degree murder. He is in Carroll County Jail.

Verrill's first time facing the charges ended in a mistrial in October 2019 because New Hampshire State Police failed to provide all the evidence to the defense.

An appeal to the New Hampshire Supreme Court resulted in a decision in 2022, granting Verrill a new trial but denying a request to dismiss the case.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday, March 12 in Strafford County Superior Court. Judge Mark Howard is scheduled to preside over the trial, with opening arguments beginning Tuesday, March 19. The new trial is slated to run through April 24.

Christine Sullivan, Jenna Pellegrini died at Farmington home

Verrill is charged with killing Christine Sullivan, and Jenna Pellegrini on Jan. 27, 2017 at 979 Meaderboro Road in Farmington. Prosecutors have said Verrill believed they were informing authorities about drug trafficking Verrill, Sullivan and Sullivan’s boyfriend were all involved with, Foster's previously reported.

The evidence police failed to provide leading to the mistrial included five witness interview recordings and various emails and text messages investigators exchanged with witnesses. As a result, the discovery evidence was not provided to the defense until late in the trial.

While the high court declined to dismiss the double murder charges Verrill faced, it also agreed the state's actions were not correct and remanded the case back to Strafford County Superior Court to determine what ramifications should result from the actions of the police, short of dismissing the case.

Verrill's appeal hinged on whether the Supreme Court justices felt discovery evidence not released in a timely manner could adversely impact a new trial and if a new trial constituted double jeopardy. The court ruled because the first case ended in a mistrial, there was no double jeopardy in the state seeking a new trial.

When the case resumes, Verrill's defense team will also be allowed to tell jurors the state's failure to present that evidence in 2019 caused a judge to declare a mistrial.

Meredith Lugo and Julia Nye, the public defenders representing Verrill in the first trial, are still listed in court documents as representing him.

Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley, who is prosecuting the case, did not comment for this story.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Timothy Verrill faces second trial in double murder in Farmington