Murder victims show gunshot, stab wounds

(AP) — A Belmont man charged with murdering his girlfriend and her brother had an abusive relationship with the woman, the victims' father says.

Kirkman Cassavaugh, 27, was arraigned in Laconia District Court Thursday on two charges of first-degree murder. His courtroom appearance ended tumultuously when a young Laconia man lunged at Cassavaugh from the gallery but was tackled by authorities.

Authorities conducted by Dr. Thomas Andrew, the state's Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Friday that the victims were Jennifer Huard, 26, and Jeremy Huard,29. Relatives said Cassavaugh was abusive toward Jennifer, who lived off-and-on with him in a trailer on the Belmont property (230 Horne Road) where she and her brother were found dead Wednesday.

Autopsies showed Jennifer Huard was shot twice, including one wound to the chest. Her brother died of multiple stab wounds, but also was shot multiple times.

Bernard Huard, the victims' father, told the New Hampshire Union Leader his daughter's nearly yearlong romance with Cassavaugh, who was unemployed, was marked with frequent violence.

"Every other weekend she'd come here afraid of being beaten up again and stay with us for awhile. There were many times we would go to her house in Belmont to help her out," he said. "We were always afraid for her and didn't know what was going to happen next."

Huard, of Gilford, said Cassavaugh's attacks were fueled by drugs and alcohol. He said his daughter, a retirement home worker, was too afraid to report the abuse to police. "She never turned him in. She was too afraid of what he might do."

Jeremy Huard lived with his father. The elder Huard said he didn't know why Jeremy went to see his sister the night they were killed. Bernard Huard described his son as a loving and protective older brother.

Authorities said the Huards were killed at 4 a.m. Wednesday. Later that day police used cadaver dogs to locate the bodies on the 90-acre property owned by Cassavaugh's grandparents, who live across the road. Authorities said the search of the murder site was expected to conclude Friday afternoon.

Cassavaugh was arrested Wednesday afternoon at the Belmont police station and is being held without bail at the Belknap County Jail. A probable cause hearing was scheduled for Sept. 28.

Cassavaugh's father, who has the same name, is a former Belmont police officer who moved to Florida in the 1980s. After his father moved, the younger Cassavaugh was mainly cared for by his grandparents, Shirley and Kirkman Cassavaugh.

Belmont Town Clerk Doralynn Harper said the elder Cassavaughs had a tough time with their grandson.

"They were wonderful to him and gave him everything he wanted but he was always getting into some kind of trouble," Harper said.

The grandparents have declined to speak to the media about their grandson.

The youngest Cassavaugh had a violent history with an ex-girlfriend, according to court records.

Cassavaugh violated a restraining order obtained by Nicole Cataldo, formerly of Belmont, who is the mother of Cassavaugh's 7-year-old son. Cataldo now lives in Maryland.

Family court records from Laconia note a history of "violent and unpleasant interactions" between Cataldo and Cassavaugh, who had "apparent difficulty in managing his temper," wrote Judge Lucinda Sadler.

Last spring, Cassavaugh was acquitted of intentionally running over Cataldo's toes with a car. In April, after the acquittal, Cataldo called police because she said Cassavaugh had threatened to commit suicide. Around the same time, Shirley Cassavaugh reported a break-in at her grandson's trailer and told police a shotgun had been taken from the home.

Michael Griffin, the 22-year-old Laconia man who tried to get at Cassavaugh in the little Laconia courtroom has been charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

A memorial service for Jennifer and Jeremy Huard has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 26. Their obituaries appear on page 11.

(The Laconia Daily Sun contributed to this report.)