Man Charged With Murder of North Adams Woman

	David Delratez, 41, was extradited to Massachusetts on Friday on previous warrants. He was charged with Ellen Depaoli's murder on being returned to the commonwealth. He is being held without bail and will be arraigned in North Adams on Monday.

Updated at 8:30 p.m., Sept. 20, 2013, with rewrites throughout to reflect new charges and change of datelines

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Police have charged David A. Delratez, 41, of Walker Street with the murder of 84-year-old Ellen Depaoli, who lived on the same street.

Delratez was charged with single counts of murder and larceny of a motor vehicle. He is being held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without bail and will be arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court on Monday morning.

Depaoli's body was found inside her home on Tuesday night. The investigation has included multiple law enforcement agencies, including assistance from the Bennington (Vt.) Police Department.

"Great appreciation is due to the many investigators who worked tirelessly in this case, some several days with little or no sleep," said Berkshire District Attorney David A. Capeless in a statement. "It was through the coordinated efforts of multiple police agencies that we were able to make this arrest."  

Deltratez was arrested on outstanding warrants Thursday night during the recovery of Depaoli's vehicle in Bennington. He appeared before Judge Nancy Corsones in Vermont District Court early Friday afternoon on charges of violating probation on felonies committed in Massachusetts.

He waived his rights for rendition to Massachusetts and was taken into custody shortly thereafter by Berkshire County law enforcement and charged upon being returned to the commonwealth.

According to an affidavit filed by Bennington Police Sgt. David L. Dutcher, North Adams (Mass.) Police Detective John Leclair contacted him requesting assistance for "a person of interest" after locating Delratez's cell phone through GPS. Delratez was said to have friends in the Bennington area, and that he may driving a blue Taurus, the same description as Depaoli's.

According to court documents, Depaoli's vehicle was parked across the street from a Valentine Street apartment in Bennington occupied by Darlene Oldham. Police say they were told Delratez was "hanging around" with Oldham. When investigators were going to check a nearby Pleasant Street apartment, officers spotted Delratez running behind neighboring homes and took him into custody as a fugitive from Massachusetts.

The court documents can be found here.

Delratez had previously been placed on probation in 2012 after an admission of sufficient facts of assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon against his now former wife. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and placed on probation until 2015. According to the court affadavit, he is suspected in a burglary at his former wife's home in Clarksburg on Friday, Sept. 13. A warrant was issued for his arrest in that case when his probation officer could not locate him.

At Friday's rendition hearing, he voluntarily agreed to be extradited to Massachusetts for court proceedings on the previous felonies. He appeared calm and said he understood the proceedings, responding to questions with "yes" or "no." The public defender assigned to his case, attorney Frederick Bragdon, declined to comment; three women who had been in the court with him quickly left the building.