Trial date set for person accused of abandoning dead body in Franklin

FRANKLIN — A trial date has been set for a person accused of failing to report the death of a woman who overdosed in a tent behind McDonald’s in July.

Richard Glover, 56, no fixed address, was charged, Oct. 13, with misdemeanor abuse of a corpse. He was also charged with a pair of felonies, including possession of methamphetamine and failure to register as a sex offender.

Glover was read his charges in Franklin District Court on Oct. 14, and ordered to be held without bail in jail. He returned to court on Monday, for a probable cause hearing. The court upheld the prosecution’s request to hold him at the Merrimack County Department of Corrections through trial, according to Franklin Det. Sgt. Kent Matthews.

Failure to report a dead body

Glover was charged for failing to report the death of 55-year-old Melinda Bastraw to law enforcement after she overdosed in a tent behind McDonald’s.

A court affidavit by Matthews states, on July 29, he went behind McDonald’s at 822 Central St., to assist officers with a death investigation. An unsheltered person told officers they located a woman in a tent who was “clearly deceased.” Officers subsequently found her about 250 feet from the back of the McDonald’s parking lot.

Matthews said, in an interview Oct. 15, as soon as he stepped out of his vehicle, he could smell the odor.

Police found a driver’s license and other documents identifying Bastraw in a backpack alongside her in the tent.

One of the documents Matthews found was a court summons for Laconia District Court. He called Laconia Police and spoke with dispatch, who told him records show Bastraw had the word “hope” tattooed on her left wrist, which matched the body.

He contacted the person who called it in, who told police another person experiencing homelessness told her about and showed her the body. The person then called 911.

Later in the interview, the reporting party said they believed the tent belonged to a man named “Rico” Glover, who had been seen staying in the tent there since June or July. The person also heard Glover may have given Bastraw a “hot shot,” which is slang for a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Matthews said, on Oct. 15, there was no evidence to support this, and Glover told police Bastraw brought her own drugs. Drug paraphernalia and bags with suspected drug residue were found in her backpack.

Glover was already being held at Belknap County Jail on charges from Concord Police and bench warrants. Matthews went to Laconia to interview him.

Glover told Matthews he was aware police were looking for him because of the body, but he had nothing to do with it. He told Matthews he and Bastraw were “very good” friends who had known each other for four years.

The affidavit states Glover originally denied having a tent behind McDonald’s, but he was aware “everyone” claimed the tent to belonged to him. He said that was “false.”

Matthews told Glover police understood he was concerned about being charged with failing to register as a sex offender if he admitted the tent belonged to him, but they were only there to investigate the death. Glover then told police the tent was his, and he lied because he was worried about getting charged for not reporting an address change. He said Bastraw came to his tent because she needed a place to stay.

Glover told police they hung out for a while, but he eventually left, because he “needed to go do something,” but couldn’t say what it was. He told police he returned at about 11 a.m. the next day, and saw the woman sleeping on the floor.

Glover told police he got a change of clothes out of the tent, and thought she was alive. Police asked him if it was possible she was not, and if it was possible he panicked and decided to leave because he thought he’d get in trouble. Glover allegedly said, “that would be safe to say, but I didn’t know she was dead.”

Glover told police he set up the tent behind McDonald’s about a month earlier, not to live in, but to provide her a place to stay. He said he didn’t go back to his tent for two weeks, because he didn’t want to get in trouble for not registering as a sex offender. Glover allegedly knew police had been at his tent, and stayed at another campsite.

Police pressed Glover on whether he knew Bastraw died from a drug overdose, and showed him photographs of the body and the campsite. He eventually admitted he realized she died about three days after she showed up to his tent and “panicked.”

Matthews said the charge abuse of a corpse is misleading. He said in this case, Glover allegedly didn’t report the dead body of a friend who overdosed, in fear of being prosecuted for the other alleged charges.

“He didn’t do anything to the body,” Matthews said.

He said Glover admitted he knew the woman was dead, left the area, and failed to report it.

Matthews has been in law enforcement for 16 years, and said it's his first time seeing a body left there that long, calling it a “unique circumstance.” He said while he understands Glover being scared, “he could have done a thousand things, but failed to.”

“I wish he had made different choices, especially for the family, who is distraught,” Matthews said.

Court proceedings

A trial date for the misdemeanor charge of abuse of a corpse is set for Feb. 8, in Franklin District Court. Glover will also appear on a misdemeanor charge of shoplifting for allegedly stealing merchandise worth less than $1,000 at the Tilton Walmart on Sept. 2.

Glover appeared in court for a probable cause hearing for the felony charges, including possession of meth, and failure to comply with a sex offender registration.

Glover also had a probable cause hearing for seven felony charges out of Northfield from June 1. These include two charges of possession of fentanyl; two charges of meth possession; failure to comply with a sex offender registry; witness tampering; and felony possession of a dangerous weapon, specifically a knife with finger ring pommel.

Glover’s felony cases are now elevated to Merrimack County Superior Court. The Grand Jury has 90 days to hand down indictments.

Glover is also due for a dispositional conference in Belknap Superior Court at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, for a felony charge of driving after being certified a habitual offender.