CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty as a teenager to the 2001 stabbing deaths of two married Dartmouth College professors is challenging his life-without-parole sentence, saying that the New Hampshire Constitution prohibits it.
Robert Tulloch was 17 when he killed Half Zantop and Susanne Zantop in Hanover as part of a conspiracy he and his best friend concocted to rob and kill people before fleeing to Australia with their ill-gotten gains.
A hearing was scheduled Wednesday in Grafton County Superior Court to consider legal issues raised in Tulloch’s case.
Tulloch, 41, awaits resentencing at a later date, following a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles amounts to “cruel and unusual” punishment. Another opinion made that decision retroactive, giving hundreds of juvenile lifers a shot at freedom. In 2021, the court found that a minor did not have to be found incapable of being rehabilitated before being sentenced to life without parole.
At least 28 states have banned such sentences for crimes committed when the defendant is a child. But efforts to pass similar legislation in New Hampshire have not succeeded.
The New Hampshire Constitution says no court of law “shall deem excessive bail or sureties, impose excessive fines, or inflict cruel or unusual punishments.”
That language would include sentencing someone to life without parole when they commit a crime as a child, Tulloch’s lawyer, Richard Guerriero, wrote in a memorandum. He also argued that the state constitution’s language is broader and offers more protection than the U.S. Constitution’s.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and other organizations filed a brief in support of Tulloch.
Prosecutors said in court documents that Guerriero’s argument is not compelling. They have said it is possible they will ask for a similar life-without-parole sentence for Tulloch.
If a judge finds that the state constitution permits life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed by children, Guerriero also asked for findings that a defendant is incapable of change and proof beyond a reasonable doubt that such a sentence is appropriate.
Tulloch is the last of five men who awaits resentencing under a state supreme court ruling. Three were resentenced to lengthy terms with a chance at parole. One was resentenced to life without parole after refusing to attend his hearing or authorize his attorneys to argue for a lesser sentence.
Tulloch’s friend, James Parker, 40, was released from prison on parole in June. He was 16 when the crimes were committed. Parker had pleaded guilty to being an accomplice to second-degree murder in the death of Susanne Zantop. He served nearly the minimum term of his 25-years-to-life sentence.
Parker agreed to testify against Tulloch, who had planned to use an insanity defense at his trial. But Tulloch changed his mind and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
The teens, bored with their lives in nearby Chelsea, Vermont, wanted to move to Australia and estimated they needed $10,000 for the trip. They eventually decided they would knock on homeowners’ doors under the pretext of conducting a survey on environmental issues, then tie up their victims and steal their credit cards and ATM information. They planned to make their captives provide their PINs before killing them.
For about six months, they had tried to talk their way into four other homes in Vermont and New Hampshire, but were turned away or found no one home.
Parker, who cooperated with prosecutors, said they picked the Zantop house because it looked expensive and it was surrounded by trees. Susanne Zantop, 55, was head of Dartmouth’s German studies department and her husband, Half Zantop, 62, taught Earth sciences.
Parker and Tulloch were arrested weeks later.
About the author
How much did your vote cost in the S.F. November election?
No matter who you voted for in November, there’s one thing that everyone could agree on: This was a costly election. Campaigns and political groups spent more than $72 million on different races and the 15 local ballot measures, trying to work their magic on a total of 522,265 registered voters. But how has their money worked for them? For Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie, quite well. Lurie, a first-time candidate who was bolstered by $16.2 million including outside spending, won with 55 percent of the vote (182,303 votes). The cost: $156.14 for each first-choice vote. That makes him by far the politician who spent the most on a dollar-per-vote basis. His rivals had much smaller war chests and spent much less per vote: London Breed and her allies spent $58.86 per vote, Aaron Peskin $34.27, and Mark Farrell $85.03, making Farrell, who finished fourth, […]
Non-verbal man vanished without a trace in 1999. 25 years on, his sister spotted his picture in a news article
A non-verbal man who vanished without a trace in 1999 has been found 25 years later after his sister spotted his photo in a news article.The man, who has not been named, disappeared from Doyle, California, in 1999 and hadn’t been seen or heard from since, Lassen County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday.The man, now in his mid-60s, is said to have disappeared of his own accord, reported ABC News.Now, 25 years on, the man will soon be reunited with his family thanks to a USA Today article.The article, published in May, detailed how a non-verbal man had been found on April 15 in the Florence-Graham area of south Los Angeles.The man, who was not able to communicate his name or other information that would assist with his identification, was taken to St Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.The outlet shared […]
Chase bank branch on 21st and Mission to shut down next week
A Chase branch, opened around 2011 at the corner of Mission and 21st streets, is slated to close permanently next Tuesday. On a drizzling Monday afternoon, about a dozen customers waited in the bank lobby at 2500 Mission St. During its busiest days, some 150 to 200 people visit the branch, sometimes more, said Sanjay Bhupthi, a security guard at the bank. Bhupthi started work two weeks ago, and faces uncertainty about his future shifts — he will work at other locations if his security company gets more contracts, he hoped. The Chase employees at the branch, he said, will be shifted to other branches. The Chase bank branch at 2500 Mission St. is closing on Dec. 3, 2024. Photo by Xueer Lu on Nov. 26, 2024. Closure notices were posted at the bank entrance, on ATM screens and at the counter, informing […]
Pilot who rescued animals all over the country dies in crash. 2 of his canine passengers survived
NEW YORK (AP) — When Seuk Kim took off from Maryland last weekend with three small dogs aboard his plane, it was the latest of many volunteer flights he had made to rescue animals in need.After realizing a childhood dream of becoming a pilot, Kim transported cats and dogs from disaster areas, overcrowded shelters and other misfortunes — including a dog trapped for days in a shipping container — to rescue groups. He lined up other aviators to do the same.But Sunday's flight to New York was his last. Kim's 1986 Mooney M20J crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, killing the 49-year-old pilot and one of the dogs, authorities said. The other two pups survived and were recovering Tuesday.Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inboxSee for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for […]
SF supervisor-elect Bilal Mahmood talks policy plans for District 5
Supervisor-elect Bilal Mahmood at a public interview on Monday pledged to be collaborative and cut down bureaucracy in his new role as the representative of District 5 — and residents seemed optimistic about his plans.Mahmood, who in January will take the seat of Supervisor Dean Preston, discussed to a full room of residents at Manny’s his plans to address the fentanyl crisis and homelessness, and how he plans to make it easier to build housing in San Francisco. For Mahmood, eliminating bureaucracy was the solution to many problems, from permitting new housing to hiring more police officers. Asked by an audience member how Democrats — thereby, most of San Francisco — would “get their shit together” as the rest of the country becomes more conservative, Mahmood emphasized a need to deal with the city’s local issues to avoid being a “punching bag.” “There’s […]
Rocket Lab USA Is Up 320% in 2024. Here’s Why I’m Not Taking Profits.
The recent market rotation toward smaller companies has lifted many boats, but Rocket Lab USA's (NASDAQ: RKLB) performance stands out even in this environment. The space company's shares have rocketed 320% higher this year at the time of this writing, including a stunning 107% surge in the past 30 days alone. This momentum has pushed Rocket Lab's market capitalization above $11 billion, and the stock now trades 24% above Wall Street's consensus price target. RKLB Chart Are You Missing The Morning Scoop? Wake up with Breakfast news in your inbox every market day. Sign Up For Free » RKLB data by YCharts. Despite this meteoric rise, I'm keeping my position intact. Here's why this space stock might still have room to run. Image source: Getty Images. Rocket Lab's third-quarter 2024 results demonstrate the company isn't just riding market sentiment. Revenue grew 55% […]
Related
Non-verbal man vanished without a trace in 1999. 25 years on, his sister spotted his picture in a news article
A non-verbal man who vanished without a trace in 1999 has been found 25 years later after his sister spotted his photo in a news article.The man, who has not been named, disappeared from Doyle, California, in 1999 and hadn’t been seen or heard from since, Lassen County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday.The man, now in his mid-60s, is said to have disappeared of his own accord, reported ABC News.Now, 25 years on, the man will soon be reunited with his family thanks to a USA Today article.The article, published in May, detailed how a non-verbal man had been found on April 15 in the Florence-Graham area of south Los Angeles.The man, who was not able to communicate his name or other information that would assist with his identification, was taken to St Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.The outlet shared […]
Pilot who rescued animals all over the country dies in crash. 2 of his canine passengers survived
NEW YORK (AP) — When Seuk Kim took off from Maryland last weekend with three small dogs aboard his plane, it was the latest of many volunteer flights he had made to rescue animals in need.After realizing a childhood dream of becoming a pilot, Kim transported cats and dogs from disaster areas, overcrowded shelters and other misfortunes — including a dog trapped for days in a shipping container — to rescue groups. He lined up other aviators to do the same.But Sunday's flight to New York was his last. Kim's 1986 Mooney M20J crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, killing the 49-year-old pilot and one of the dogs, authorities said. The other two pups survived and were recovering Tuesday.Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inboxSee for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for […]
Rocket Lab USA Is Up 320% in 2024. Here’s Why I’m Not Taking Profits.
The recent market rotation toward smaller companies has lifted many boats, but Rocket Lab USA's (NASDAQ: RKLB) performance stands out even in this environment. The space company's shares have rocketed 320% higher this year at the time of this writing, including a stunning 107% surge in the past 30 days alone. This momentum has pushed Rocket Lab's market capitalization above $11 billion, and the stock now trades 24% above Wall Street's consensus price target. RKLB Chart Are You Missing The Morning Scoop? Wake up with Breakfast news in your inbox every market day. Sign Up For Free » RKLB data by YCharts. Despite this meteoric rise, I'm keeping my position intact. Here's why this space stock might still have room to run. Image source: Getty Images. Rocket Lab's third-quarter 2024 results demonstrate the company isn't just riding market sentiment. Revenue grew 55% […]
Three injured in Palm Desert crash after sheriff’s deputies chase suspected thieves
Three people were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries following a two-car collision in Palm Desert, which occurred after Riverside County sheriff’s deputies chased a trio of suspects connected to a theft at a nearby business Monday afternoon.The incident also led to an extended closure of Washington Street between Hovley Lane and Fred Waring Drive on Monday afternoon.Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday, deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a business in the 72-000 block of Highway 111 in Palm Desert regarding a theft. They were told three suspects stole items and fled in a white vehicle.A responding deputy located the suspects’ vehicle in the area of Hovley Lane and Portola Avenue. When the vehicle did not stop, the deputies began a pursuit, according to department spokesperson Sgt. Wendy Brito-Gonzalez.“The vehicle stopped on Washington Street […]
What Can I Do With RMDs I Don’t Plan to Spend? I Don’t Want to Just Dump Them Into My Checking Account
Susannah Snider, CFP I am approaching the time when I’ll take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from my individual retirement account (IRA). I am in a quandary about what I can do with this anticipated largesse of cash. I do not necessarily need the money dumped into my checking account. -Tommy Retirees who don’t need the cash from required minimum distributions (RMDs) aren’t required to dump it directly into a checking account. Fortunately, a range of options exists that allows the RMDs to work more effectively for you. Keep in mind that how you handle your RMDs may come with tax consequences, so it’s important to keep an eye out for those repercussions. Here’s what to do with RMDs when you don’t need the cash. (If you have additional questions about investing or retirement, this tool can help match you with potential advisors.) […]
Rand Paul Breaks With Trump on Two Key Administration Promises
Rand Paul on Face the Nation.President-elect Donald Trump has made it clear that he’s looking for yes-men for his next term in office, but Republican Sen. Rand Paul didn’t seem to get the memo.The Kentucky lawmaker spoke on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday, and firmly stated his stance against both tariffs and the potential of the military being involved in mass deportations.Paul went as far as to call Trump’s proposal to involve the military “illegal” and a “terrible image” while talking to the show’s host, Margaret Brennan.“I am 100 percent supportive of going after the 15,000 murders, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapists. All these people. Let’s send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison. So I would say, all points bulletin, all in,” Paul said.However, he quickly clarified that he and Trump disagreed […]
