PHOTO BY MARK LORENZ
Wes Doughty, with his attorney John Apruzzese, appears in Salem District Court.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
SALEM — Wes Doughty, charged with the Feb. 18 murders of a Peabody couple, was arraigned in Salem District Court Thursday for allegedly carjacking a man while on the run from police.
Doughty, 39, of Danvers, pleaded not guilty to charges of armed carjacking, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person 60 or older and kidnapping. Bail was set at $250,000 cash, but was simply a formality because he was held without bail after being arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder in Peabody District Court on Tuesday.
Doughty was ordered to return to Salem District Court on April 12 for a probable cause hearing, but is expected to be indicted by the Essex County Grand Jury on the carjacking and murder charges before then. Following the indictment, all of the charges against Doughty would instead be handled at Salem Superior Court, according to Carrie Kimball Monahan, spokeswoman for the Essex County District Attorney’s office.
Doughty is the second suspect in a double homicide at 19 Farm Ave. and was on the run for a week after the bodies of Mark Greenlaw, 37, and Jennifer O’Connor, 40, were found in the bungalow-style home. His alleged accomplice, Michael Hebb, 45, of Peabody, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges on Feb. 21 and is being held without bail.
Authorities released the cause of death for both victims on Tuesday. Greenlaw was shot in the head and his girlfriend, O’Connor, was stabbed in her neck and torso.
While on the run, Doughty allegedly carjacked Kenneth Metz, a 64-year-old grandfather, outside a Middleton restaurant on the night of Feb. 22, before the victim was able to escape three hours later in Boston. Metz told reporters a day later outside his Middleton home that Doughty confessed to the double murder, saying he killed the couple because they had given heroin to his godfather.
Authorities have not released a motive for the murders.
Metz was in the parking lot of Hailey’s Restaurant & Pub in Middleton around 7 p.m. when Doughty allegedly forced his way into Metz’s car, ordered him into the passenger seat and drove off. The suspect used a pen knife and caused minor cuts and scrapes to Metz’s neck, according to court documents.
https://newitemlive.wpengine.com/news/carjack-victim-murder-suspect-confessed/
Doughty drove around with Metz in the car for three hours, stopping to purchase alcohol and cigarettes along the way, and took an ATM card from Metz to withdraw $146. Doughty allegedly tied Metz’s wrists and leg with a seatbelt at each stop and left him locked in the car. Metz told police that the suspect consumed the alcohol and cigarettes throughout the duration of the car ride and would make statements about his alcohol dependence, saying that he would have enough to get through the night. The victim also told police Doughty stated he would have to steal another car the same way he stole Metz’s vehicle, according to court documents.
Metz was able to untie himself when Doughty went into Hollywood Liquors on Tremont Street in Boston, and run to a local pizza shop to call Boston Police, according to court documents.
Doughty was arrested last Friday in South Carolina after being questioned for panhandling. Investigators there learned he was wanted for a double homicide in Peabody and carjacking in Boston.
John Apruzzese, of Salem, Doughty’s defense attorney, said after his client’s arraignment on Tuesday that only the “Commonwealth’s version of events” was known and expected more facts to come out. He was unavailable for comment on Thursday.
City health officials have since condemned the scene of the killings on Farm Avenue, and a vacate order was issued to the property owners. Authorities initially had difficulty determining the number of murder victims because they described the home as being in poor condition and messy. X-ray machinery was used to make that determination because the bodies were somewhat concealed.
The DA’s office clarified earlier this week that the bodies were not dismembered as previously reported elsewhere and on social media.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.