WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A man involved in a botched robbery that resulted in a shooting death in Hartford has agreed to a plea deal that included a six-month prison stint and 10 years on probation.
Meanwhile, the alleged gunman is not expected to go on trial until next year.
Jeffrey Mullins, 46, is scheduled to have a status hearing on Monday in Windsor Superior Court.
Mullins was arrested last August along with Michelle Mullins, 49, and the alleged gunman, Demetrius Drew, 31, of New Haven, Conn., in connection with the death of David Labrecque, 65, of Canaan, who was shot and killed outside a home on Verna Court.
At the time of his death, Labrecque was coming to the aid of his girlfriend, Jessica Lemay, 37, also of Canaan, who also was shot that morning, she later told police.
After the shooting, both Mullinses entered not guilty pleas on felony charges of aiding in the commission of first-degree murder and accessory to attempted assault and robbery. The affidavits in support of the charges stated they had been living in Enfield.
In November, Jeffrey Mullins signed an agreement to enter a guilty plea to one felony count of accessory to attempted assault and robbery, with a sentence of six to 10 years suspended to six months and 10 years of probation, court records show.
A change of plea hearing was subsequently held in February.
Jeffrey Mullins is being held in Grafton County Jail in connection with a separate misdemeanor criminal trespass case from March 2023. In April, he received an amended sentence of six months in that case, court records show.
Efforts to reach Mullins’ attorney Jordan Handy and prosecutor Franklin Paulino were not immediately successful on Friday. He is scheduled for a status conference at 3:45 p.m. in Windsor Superior Court on Monday.
Michelle Mullins was on the court calendar for a change of plea hearing next Monday, but on Thursday, her hearing was rescheduled for June. A voice message left at the office of Jennifer Mullins’ attorney, David Sleigh, was not immediately returned on Friday.
Michelle Mullins is currently under the unsupervised custody of the Grafton County Department of Corrections — which means she is not incarcerated but is subject to weekly check-ins from DOC staff and has to keep up with court dates — related to a pending 2025 drug possession case in which she is facing two felony charges.
Drew has entered not guilty pleas to charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted assault and robbery with a weapon.
Court records show that Drew’s case is estimated to be ready for trial next February. He is currently being held at the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport, Vt.
The shooting occurred as part of a botched Hartford robbery Demetrius Drew and the Mullinses — who had known each other for just weeks, according to their arrest affidavits —concocted last August. Their plan was to rob a home at 34 Verna Court, which they believed contained a significant amount of cash, and split the proceeds.
In custody, Michelle Mullins told police she was outside the residence speaking with the two victims, David Labrecque and Jessica Lemay, when the shooting started, according to affidavits. Neither Labrecque nor Lemay lived at the residence.
Lemay, who was shot in the abdomen and hand, told police in an interview at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center that when Labrecque attempted to help her, the gunman shot him twice. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
