PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Timothy Gill pleaded not guilty to a single count of murder in Berkshire Superior Court Tuesday.
Gill is being charged with murdering his wife Halena Irene Gill. Her body was found inside of her Madison Avenue apartment last week and an autopsy determined she died of strangulation.
Timothy Gill was arrested on Monday. On Tuesday Judge William Rota ordered him to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without bail. Timothy Gill will appear in court next on January 14, 2016 for a probable cause hearing.
UPDATED: Monday, Dec. 14, 2015 at 4:35 p.m.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police have arrested 38-year-old Timothy Gill for allegedly murdering his wife last week.
Halena Irene Gill was found dead in her Madison Avenue apartment shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday. An autopsy performed over the weekend by Dr. Andrew Sexton, an associate medical examiner for the state, ruled the death homicide by strangulation.
On Monday, Police arrested Timothy Gill and charged him with a single count of murder. He is being held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without the right to bail. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Central Berkshire District Court.
According to her Facebook profile, Halena Irene Gill studied criminal justice at Westfield State College and she once worked as a leadership coordinator at the United Way. She had just celebrated her 37th birthday on Nov. 17.
Her photos indicate she and Gill were married last year.
A picture of Halena Gill taken from her Facebook page. Police are asking anyone who had seen Gill in the last few days to contact them.
Original Post: Thursday December 10, 2015 at 5:19 p.m.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are investigating the death of a Pittsfield Avenue woman.
Shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday Police found the body of Halena Irene Gill, 37, inside an apartment at 144 Madison Avenue. Police are now asking for information from anyone who may have seen Gill over the past several days.
An autopsy is expected to be conducted sometime Friday at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Holyoke to determine the cause of death.
According to her Facebook profile, she studied criminal justice at Westfield State College and she once worked as a leadership coordinator at the United Way.
She had just celebrated her 37th birthday on November 17.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — An early morning fire severely damaged the side of a multifamily home on East Quincy Street.
The blaze was called in shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday morning by neighbors who reported smoke and flames; the north side of the building was described as glowing.
Fire Director Stephen Meranti said the fire burned up through the basement stairs along the exterior wall, undermining the stair landings and forcing firefighters to attack the blaze from the outside.
"We had to make entrance through the basement, knock down the basement, put out the fire on the first floor then work our way up," he said.
The 1880 building has two units, up and down, and is currently unoccupied. Owner George Ames Jr., who was at the scene, confirmed it was vacant.
The fire is believed to have started in the basement but the cause was unclear early this morning.
Its path could be clearly seen from the damaged exterior. The heat melted off the vinyl siding and burned through the wall and up to the roof line. Firefighters used an exterior staircase to access the burning wall.
Most of the fire damage appeared to be contained to the rear north corner of the building, including the upstairs apartment.
The steep, narrow street was crowded with emergency vehicles. North Adams responded with three trucks, including the ladder truck. Clarksburg Fire covered the station and sent its air truck scene. North Adams Ambulance Service set up its rehab trailer.
Berkshire Gas and National Grid were expected to arrive to disconnect the structure.
Meranti said a fire watch would be set for the rest of the night.
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — A chimney fire caused some $25,000 worth of damage to a Nobodys Road home Saturday.
Firefighters responded to the fire at 75 Nobodys Road at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday night and found heavy smoke coming from the cellar, according to Fire Chief Charles Durfee. The heavy smoke led to a second alarm, with Cheshire responding to the scene and New Ashford covering the station.
Durfee said 25 firefighters were on scene and nobody was hurt combating the blaze. Durfee estimates $25,000 worth of damage to the home. The owner was not home at the time and the smoke detector did work, Durfee said.
According to land records, the home is owned by Mory and Laurie Brenner.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are investigating three unrelated robberies.
The first one occurred on Friday, Dec. 4 shortly before 8 p.m. Police say a delivery driver for Empire Pizza was robbed at gunpoint on Parker Street.' The suspect is described as a black male, approximately six-feet tall, medium build, in his early 20s and wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt. An undisclosed amount of cash and credit card receipts were take and the driver was not hurt. The suspect then fled down Parker Street toward Springside Avenue and toward Plunkett Street.
On Tuesday, Dec. 8, shortly before midnight the Gulf Station on Wahconah Street was robbed at gunpoint. In this robbery there were two suspects both described as young males of an unknown race. One was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark colored handkerchief, jeans, black shoes, and red or pink colored gloves. The other was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with red or pink sweatpants and similarly colored gloves. The suspects took tobacco products and an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspects then took off through the Pittsfield Cemetery.
Two days later, Zuke's Soup's and Variety on West Street was robbed shortly after 5 p.m. The suspect is described as a white female, heavy set and standing approximately 5'8" tall and weighing around 200 lbs. She was wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, dark colored pants, a scarf over her mount and gloves. She took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled down West Street. The clerk was not hurt during the robbery.
"No one was hurt in any of the above incidents. Preliminary investigation indicates that these incidents are not related. The Pittsfield Police Department is still working to identify the perpetrators in all three incidents," wrote Police Chief Michael Wynn in a released issued Friday afternoon.
The chief said there are no photos of the Park Street robbery but images from the other two robberies are being process and will be released to the public when available. Police are asking anyone with information about these robberies to contact the detective's bureau at 448-9705.
Det. Thomas Dawley is heading the investigation into the Parker Street crime, Det. Timothy Koenig is assigned to the Gulf Station one and Det. Thomas Harrington and Officer Matthew Ortega are assigned to the Zuke's robbery.
Cases heard before Judge Daniel Ford on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Max Bohan, 25, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of distribution of heroin and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
He was released on $500 bail. The charges stem from an incident in Pittsfield on September 28, 2015.
Stephanie Bullett, 30, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute - her second offense - and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
She was released on $500 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at her residence on October 9, 2015.
Matthew King, 33, of Pittsfield had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf on a single count of possession of heroin - his second offense.
He was released on $500 bail. The charge stems from a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on October 9, 2015.
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