Newport
Jeffrey Buzzell, 42, expressed remorse for his actions in Sullivan Superior Court before Judge Brian Tucker sentenced him to a minimum of eight years in New Hampshire State Prison.
“I’d like to say that I apologize … ,” Buzzell said in a soft voice from the defense table, the remainder of his statement nearly inaudible. His public defender, Meredith Lugo, attested to his remorse.
“It was not his intention for these things to happen the way that they did,” Lugo said. “He primarily wants to let (Christine) Beebe know that he is truly sorry for all of the pain she has suffered.”
Homeowners Christine and Arthur Beebe, who operate Twin State Coins and Treasures in West Lebanon, were in the courtroom gallery on Friday, as they have been throughout proceedings against Buzzell and Jamie Stevens, who pleaded guilty in December to his role in the home invasion and was sentenced to 3½ years in prison.
Christine Beebe spoke from a lectern on the courtroom floor, saying she hopes Buzzell, a former family friend, will turn his life around.
“I do want him to go forward with his life and do the right thing,” she said tearfully. “I will never understand why he did what he did. It is something he has to live with, and I can only hope that he goes forward and does better than what he has.”
Joining the Beebes in court were the two men who rescued Christine Beebe on the morning of May 4, 2015. The two contractors arrived at the Beebes’ home for scheduled repair work when they heard her crying out for help. They found her tied to a support beam in the basement. Arthur Beebe was not at home that day because he was serving a 1½- to three-year prison sentence for receiving stolen property and falsifying physical evidence.
Buzzell and Stevens left Christine Beebe tied up in the basement after stealing various amounts of gold and silver bars and coins, as well as jewelry and a pistol, before leaving to pawn some of the items in New York. Buzzell’s wife, Sarah Carr, who accompanied them to New York, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to possess stolen property and was sentenced to one year in jail.
A fourth person allegedly involved in the incident, Sherry West, hasn’t had her case resolved. She is accused of helping to recover some of the stolen property that Buzzell hid off Chandlers Mills Road in Newport; she faces a charge of conspiracy to receive or possess stolen property.
Buzzell ultimately pleaded guilty to five felony charges: burglary, theft, second-degree assault and two counts of conspiracy to receive stolen property. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor simple assault charge for punching a fellow prisoner in the face while being held on bail, Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway said on Friday.
Buzzell received identical sentences on four of the felony charges: 10 to 20 years, with two years of the minimum sentence suspended. All of those sentences will be served at the same time, amounting to a total minimum sentence length of eight years.
He also received a 10- to 20-year sentence, all suspended, on the fifth felony charge, and a 12-month sentence for the simple assault charge, which will be served at the same time as his prison sentence. He was credited with the time he served before trial.
Buzzell and Stevens also were ordered to pay the Beebes up to $185,000 in restitution. A hearing may be scheduled in the future to discuss that amount and the method of payment. Roughly $1,700 in restitution will go to cover Christine Beebe’s medical bills for the injuries she sustained.
Friday’s proceedings lasted less than an hour and were the result of a plea agreement. The state dropped two other charges against Buzzell, Hathaway said.
“The defendant’s prior record coupled with the behavior described … all justify the sentencing recommendation made by the state,” Hathaway said, after noting that Buzzell’s criminal record includes more than a dozen offenses stemming back to at least the 1990s.
Lugo, Buzzell’s public defender, also said she felt the agreement made sense.
“It includes a substantial period of incarceration, as well as supervision on parole, and there is the additional suspended sentence that could be imposed that acts as a check, essentially,” Lugo said
She said in court that Buzzell suffered trauma as a child and has battled addiction.
A man who declined to provide his name attended his Buzzell’s hearing on Friday, along with a young woman. The man urged Buzzell not to take the plea deal, saying he would pay for a new lawyer.
“We’ll go to a jury trial,” the man said as Buzzell glanced back at him. “Listen to me.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.