North Adams Man Charged with Murder in 2017 Stabbing

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A North Adams man has been charged with murder after the death of a man he stabbed seven years ago. 
 
Travis T. Perras, 31, was indicted last week on a charge of first degree murder in the death of Charles Sauer of North Adams. He entered a plea of not guilty before Judge John Agostini on Thursday and was ordered held without bail. 
 
Perras pleaded guilty in 2018 of stabbing Sauer, then 51, the year before. 
 
Sauer worked for Domino's Pizza in North Adams and was delivering a pizza to a Union Street address called in by Perras on the night of July 14, 2017, when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times in an attempted robbery. He was found in his vehicle after calling 911 and taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield in critical condition. 
 
He identified Perras, who was arrested a few days later. Perras was sentenced to four to six years in prison for armed assault with intent to rob and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; an intent to murder charge was dropped.
 
Sauer, a Mount Anthony Union High graduate, died Feb. 16, 2023, at age 55.
 
The grand jury's indictment reads that Perras' assault and intent to murder Sauer "did kill and murder him (upon his death on 02/16/2023)."
 
A pretrial hearing for Perras has been scheduled for Dec. 17. 

Tags: murder,   stabbing,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

North Adams Takes Possession of Historic Church Street Houses

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The porch collapsed on 116 Church several years ago. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The state Land Court in February finalized the city's tax taking of four properties including the brick Church Street mansions.
 
The prestigious pair of Queen Anne mansions had been owned by Franklin E. Perras Jr., who died in 2017 at age 79. 
 
The properties had been in court for four years as attempts were made repeatedly to find Perras' heirs, including a son, Christopher. According to court filings, Christopher reportedly died in 2013 but his place of death is unknown, as is the location (or existence) of two grandchildren listed in Perras' obituary. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said the next steps will be to develop requests for proposals for the properties to sell them off. 
 
She credited Governor's Councillor Tara Jacobs for bringing the lingering tax takings to the Land Court's attention. Jacobs said she'd asked about the status of the properties and a few days later they were signed off. 
 
It wasn't just the four North Adams properties — the cases for three Perras holdings in Lanesborough that also had been in the court for years were closed, including Keeler Island. Another property on Holmes Road in Hinsdale is still in the court.  
 
The buildings at 116, 124 and 130 Church St., and a vacant lot on Arnold Place had been in tax title since 2017 when the city placed $12,000 in liens. 
 
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories