Trial in 2019 death of 5-year-old now slated for August

LACONIA — The trial for Sherry Connor, who stands accused of causing the death of her young grandson as well as abusing three other children entrusted to her care, is now scheduled for late August after initially being slated to take place this month.

Connor has been charged with negligent homicide and manslaughter for the death of her 5-year-old grandson, Dennis “Boo” Vaughan Jr., who was found unresponsive by paramedics in Connor’s then-home on Blueberry Lane on Dec. 24, 2019. An autopsy determined Vaughan’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to his head and neck.

However, it wasn’t until last year any charges were brought relating to the incident. Keith Cormier, Belknap County attorney, said his office only received the case in June 2024, which had been in the hands of the state’s Office of the Attorney General until that time. As soon as it was released to Belknap County, Cormier said he sought to bring charges against Connor as quickly as possible.

In his successful bid to convince Judge Mark Attorri to hold Connor in pre-trial confinement, Cormier described a pattern of behavior that “could aptly be described as torture” which surviving children revealed in interviews, and which was corroborated by forensic evidence.

Connor’s attorneys, who were previously appointed by the state, argued if their client was indeed such a danger to the public, then the attorney general wouldn’t have let her spend the past five years free without charging her. They also noted she has no other criminal record, and have insisted she is not guilty of the charges.

Connor is now being defended by Sisti Law Office, based in Chichester.

“We recently picked up the case, we’re going through thousands of pages of information,” said Mark Sisti. The trial is set to begin in Belknap Superior Court with jury selection on Monday, Aug. 25.

“Right now that’s a target date, we’ll see what we can do,” Sisti said, noting the state has had five years to collect evidence and build a theory for prosecution. Sisti said his office will be working to prepare for trial as quickly as possible.

“We are certainly going to trial with this case,” Sisti said.