# Prosecuters in Murder Trial Alleged Police Officers Took Part in Disposal of the Body



## 209 (Jun 18, 2005)

*Lamb's stepfather testifies in trial

*
By Nicole Sequino, Berkshire Eagle Staff​​ 
​Thursday, September 28
PITTSFIELD - _Prosecutors alleged yesterday that_ *Peru Police and Fire Chief Todd R. Dewkett*_, during a collect call from the Berkshire County House of Correction, told his stepson, Damien J. Lamb, that he would help convince the jury in his favor. Lamb is accused of slaying Brandon LaBonte, a 21-year-old Pittsfield man,_ 
_Dewkett was questioned by Assistant District Attorney Richard M. Locke in Berkshire Superior Court about receiving a collect call on Sept. 26, 2005, from Lamb. _
_Dewkett told Locke that he didn't recall the conversation in which he reportedly told his stepson, "Unfortunately, we're going to have to go to trial, but I'll be excellent for you. ... I can make this jury believe." _
_"I have no idea what you're talking about, sir," Dewkett told Locke._ 
Prosecutors allege that Lamb, 24, a former Becket resident and martial arts expert, strangled and beat LaBonte to death at a Becket residence on Feb. 16, 2005. 
Authorities also believe that Lamb and two accomplices transported the body in a red Chevrolet Corsica to Dewkett's property in Peru, where they carried it on a blue tarp to a swamp and stashed it inside a beaver hut. Police never found the body, but allege that Lamb moved it at least a second time. 
Defense attorney William A. Rota has argued that the prosecution has no physical evidence that his client was involved or that a homicide even took place. Rota also dismissed the two alleged accomplices, Kendra Keith, 19, and Steven J. Fish, 22, as "questionable" sources. 
» Murder trial at a glance ...
*Defendant*: Damien J. Lamb, 24, formerly of Becket, has been charged with beating 21-year-old Pittsfield resident Brandon LaBonte to death on Feb. 16, 2005, and disposing of his body. Authorities believe that the body was first hidden in a beaver hut on an 83-acre property owned by Lamb's mother and stepfather. 
*The two sides*: Prosecutors say Lamb murdered LaBonte over a $150 debt. The defense says that this is a missing person's case because a body hasn't been found, and that there is no physical evidence to link Lamb to the murder. 

Yesterday, Locke also questioned Dewkett about the morning of Feb. 17, 2005, when his wife - Lamb's mother, Nancy (Lamb) Dewkett - reportedly received a phone call from Keith. _Keith has testified that she and Damien Lamb called_ _Nancy Lamb_ _for help, and that she suggested they hide the body in a beaver hut on their property._ *Nancy (Lamb) Dewkett is a part-time police officer in Peru*. ​Dewkett explained that, as Peru Police chief, he had testified in court that morning in a criminal case and later left for Florida with his wife. Locke asked Dewkett if he heard his wife answer her cell phone that morning, but Dewkett claimed that his wife's cell phone didn't function in the remote area of Peru. 
Dewkett said he also didn't know that his teenage sons had "wrecked" a beaver hut in the swamp with large axes in December 2004 until they gave police a statement in July 2005. Dewkett insisted that he had only 



known that his younger son had fallen through the ice in December 2004. 
Prosecutors allege that the Dewkett boys had unwittingly made it easier for Damien Lamb to place the body inside the hut, which Todd Dewkett and Nancy (Lamb) Dewkett reportedly knew about from the boys. 
Rota also questioned Todd Dewkett yesterday. He asked Dewkett pointblank whether he played a role in disposing of LaBonte's body. "No, sir," Dewkett affirmed. 
Dewkett told Rota that he did not know that his stepson was even a suspect in the case until police showed up on his property on July 22, 2005, to search for LaBonte's body. Dewkett said he cooperated with police and gave them consent to return the next day. When they didn't show, Dewkett said he kept his plans and went to a NASCAR race in the Pocono Mountains for the weekend. 
Dewkett drove home after receiving a call from one of his sons that school buses of police officers showed up at their home on July 24, 2005. Police had breached the dam in the swamp to lower the water level for better visibility, but inadvertently caused Dewkett's cows to escape. Dewkett said he nonetheless allowed police to search the property at a later date with cadaver dogs. 
Dewkett also told Rota that he measured the distance from his house to the swamp, where authorities believe Damien Lamb initially hid the body, as approximately three-quarters of a mile. Locke noted that Dewkett never went to police - his colleagues - with this information. 
Forensic testimony 
State police canine officers and forensic experts also testified yesterday. Several canine officers claimed that their cadaver-sniffing dogs exhibited a "change in behavior" when they came across one of three beaver huts in the swamp. The dogs also picked up a scent near an apple tree and stone foundation on the property. 
Police also searched the Becket property of Lamb's biological father for evidence on July 22, 2005, where LaBonte was allegedly beaten to death. Forensic experts testified that they found possible blood samples on various items at the house, but that none of the items tested positive as blood or DNA. 
During a later search, Lynn Orvis, a supervising chemist for state police Crime Scene Services, testified that she found possible blood samples on the paddle and seat of a canoe, and on the cushions of a rain-soaked couch at the Becket property. Prosecutors believe that Lamb may have moved the body by canoe to another location. 
Under questioning from First Assistant District Attorney Paul Caccaviello, another chemist, Jennifer Preisig, also testified that she found one possible blood sample on the passenger seat of the red Corsica, which police believe Lamb used to transport the body to Peru after the alleged murder. 
DNA expert Brian Cunningham testified that the results were inconclusive, or that there was insufficient data to render results. He explained that DNA evidence from blood, saliva or skin cells could have been destroyed by exposure to the elements because most of the samples came from items left outside.​


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## 209 (Jun 18, 2005)

Any thoughts on the trial, especially those from Berkshire County?


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