White River Junction
Emily Perkins’ defense attorney and the lead prosecutor in the case met in Windsor Superior Court on Tuesday and agreed that her sentencing, which is contested, will take a full day to complete.
A judge will then rule on how much time the 29-year-old Perkins should serve; she faces up to life in prison.
All discussions about the topic on Tuesday were done in the judge’s chambers.
After the meeting, Windsor County State’s Attorney David Cahill, who has taken over the case from prosecutor Christopher Moll, said the conversation centered on scheduling and procedures only.
He said it is possible that he or Perkins’ attorney, Devin McLaughlin, could file documents in court prior to the sentencing hearing that will divulge a sentencing range. No such documents had been filed by Friday.
Both attorneys said they are still considering what they think Perkins’ sentence should be.
Perkins still has several unresolved cases in Windsor Superior Court, including an alleged robbery and theft from Tracy’s Midway Station in Sharon in December 2011 and about a dozen conditions of release violations.
“While I have in my head where I would like to go, we have to be mindful that not all of the charges are disposed of,” Cahill said. “We don’t yet know the entire universe of offenses that will be considered at sentencing. What I do suspect is that by the time of the sentencing, we will know how many of these charges will be factored in.”
McLaughlin said he couldn’t discuss his proposal as it is not “fully and finally formulated.”
“The hope is to have a global resolution of all charges against Emily,” he added.
Perkins has remained in prison since a jury in March found her guilty of killing Hill and wounding Jozefiak during a drug deal gone awry at Hill’s Bethel trailer in November 2011. After the verdict, a judge ordered her held without bail pending her sentencing hearing. She currently resides at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington.
Perkins maintained her innocence throughout the lengthy trial, contending her late husband, Michael, was responsible.
Perkins is the mother of two girls, who are in the guardianship of her mother and stepfather.
She gets to see them every other week when they visit her at the facility, McLaughlin said, noting “jail has been difficult for her.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.