Inset: Charles “Chuck” Readey (New Hampshire Attorney General”s Office). Background: A covered bridge in the small town of Bath, N.H. (Town of Bath).
A New Hampshire man is behind bars for killing his sister-in-law and niece, according to authorities in the Granite State.
Charles “Chuck” Readey, 73, stands accused of two counts of murder in the second degree, the New Hampshire Department of Justice announced in a press release issued Tuesday.
The incident occurred at a residence on Tyler Way in Bath, a small town located along the western border with Vermont.
Earlier on Tuesday, in an initial press release, the New Hampshire Attorney General and New Hampshire State Police announced the “suspicious deaths of two females” at the scene of the crime.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
At around 1:15 p.m., a 911 call came in to the Bath Police Department about shots fired at the residence, authorities said. Responding officers discovered the bodies of Cindy Moody, 67, and her daughter Kristal Moody, 39, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
Also at the residence, investigators soon discovered Readey, the elder woman’s brother-in-law, with a firearm, according to law enforcement.
“After a short period of time, Mr. Readey was safely detained,” the attorney general’s office said in the press release.
That short time, however, was not uneventful.
During the ensuing search Bath Police Chief Todd Eck called out Readey’s name and the defendant responded, “I’m over here,” according to court documents obtained by Manchester-based ABC affiliate WMUR.
Upon making contact with the alleged killer, the police chief repeatedly told him to put the gun down, authorities allege.
At first, however, Readey would not budge, so Eck said he could not help the victims until the alleged killer put the gun down, police say.
That entreaty is said to have resulted in morbid commentary.
Readey allegedly replied to Eck’s concerns with words along the lines of: “You can’t help them now,” according to court documents.
Eventually, and with the intervention of his wife, the defendant did lower his weapon and was taken into custody without incident, police say.
Additional details about the crime were relayed in court documents obtained by Burlington, Vermont-based CBS affiliate WCAX.
Investigators allege Readey grew frustrated with Cindy Moody after she had been living in the basement for roughly three years.
The defendant also later admitted to the double murder, police say. Readey allegedly said he first shot Kristal Moody through a door before training his weapon on the younger woman’s mother.
On Wednesday, the defendant appeared in court for a remote arraignment. He is being detained without bail pending a probable cause hearing currently slated to occur on Oct. 22.
Also on Wednesday, autopsies are scheduled for both mother and daughter by the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Law&Crime reached out to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office for additional details on this story but no response was immediately forthcoming at the time of publication.
