Defendant found in home of dead friend

NORTHAMPTON - A judge ruled Friday a homeless man facing misdemeanor charges should remain held on $25,000 bail regardless of whether he is suspected of killing an acquaintance.

Wesley Stimpson, 29, whose address is listed in court records as the streets of Pittsfield, is set for trial Aug. 11 on charges of trespassing and breaking and entering. He was arrested May 24 in the home of Richard Hale, 45, of 80 Barrett St., Apt. A-2, Northampton, who was later found dead in a nearby marsh.

Although the charges against Stimpson are relatively minor, a district court judge subsequently set his bail at $25,000 cash or $250,000 surety, citing Stimpson's extensive criminal record and the fact investigators are probing his possible connection to Hale's death.

Northampton Police since have said there is no evidence of foul play in Hale's death, though they have not determined whether his death was accidental or a suicide.

In a court hearing Friday, prosecutor Michael Cahillane said the investigation is still open pending further information from the state medical examiner's office.

Defense attorney Marlene Morin requested Stimpson be released on personal surety, but Hampshire Superior Court Judge Bertha Josephson said she agreed the lower court judge "had every good reason to set bail in the amount that he did."

Cahillane said Stimpson has a history of providing false names to authorities, including after a car crash in Greenfield last year. Stimpson's criminal record also includes charges ranging from harassment to credit card fraud, and he has also failed to appear for court dates in the past, the prosecutor said.

Stimpson identified himself as Richard Hale to Amherst College Campus Police when they issued him a no-trespassing order several hours before he was arrested in Northampton, Cahillane said.

The officer who arrested Stimpson found Hale's identification card in his pocket, according to a police report. Morin said Hale previously had given Stimpson the ID so they both could visit a nightclub.

Hale was a patient of ServiceNet and lived in a unit at Pheasant Hill Apartments maintained by the human services agency. Morin said Stimpson was Hale's friend and frequently stayed at his apartment.

Hale had gone missing days before he was found dead, Morin said, and claimed Hale's social worker asked Stimpson to help her look for him in a homeless encampment in the Hockanum Meadows section of Northampton.

Cahillane said there was "an ongoing issue with people taking advantage of Mr. Hale and going into his apartment," leading ServiceNet to install a keypad lock on his door. May 24, he said, Stimpson apparently entered the apartment through an air-conditioner shaft.

James F. Lowe can be reached at jlowe@gazettenet.com.