A Vermont man, Christopher Ellis, has confessed to the brutal murder of a mother and her adult son in their Whittingham home, as reported by AP News. Ellis, who had been living with his victims, 52-year-old Michael Garvin and 79-year-old Lucy Garvin, for months prior to the fatal incident, is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday on two counts of first-degree murder.
The Garvins' bodies were discovered by a family member on Friday, and Ellis was arrested the same day while driving Michael Garvin's missing pickup truck, according to U.S. News. It was during this arrest and subsequent questioning that Ellis chillingly confessed to the killings, which he claims were "calculated"
In a police affidavit, Ellis revealed that he met Michael Garvin in jail and had been staying with the Garvins since April of that year. He complained about the living situation and the "mental and psychological abuse" he experienced, which pushed him to the point where he thought about how much he hated Michael Garvin every day. It was this intense animosity that reportedly led him to contemplate killing Garvin for several weeks before finally acting on his dark thoughts, according to the same affidavit.
The confession continued with Ellis describing how he had located a gun and, in a disturbing twist, expressed his belief that Lucy Garvin's death was unfortunate but necessary, stating, "she had to go," as reported by Boston.com. The affidavit also details Ellis' lack of a retirement plan and his apparent preference for prison life, stating that he would rather be in jail than in an "old folks' home."
Following the tragic shootings, Ellis allegedly drove in Michael Garvin's truck to purchase crack cocaine, eventually going to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he sold the weapon he used to commit these heartless acts. With the money he earned from the gun sale, he continued to buy more cocaine, according to police.
