Prosecutors: Wendell man killed woman in front of her son

By JOSHUA SOLOMON

For the Gazette

Published: 07-10-2017 8:22 PM

ORANGE — A Wendell man who authorities say shot and killed the woman he lived with in front of her son was ordered held without bail Monday on multiple charges

Lewis H. Starkey III, 53, of Wendell was arraigned Monday on charges of murder, armed assault with intent to murder, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the fatal shooting and an assault on the victim’s son. 

Starkey, who was found Sunday after five days at large following the shooting death of Amanda Glover, will be held at the Franklin House Jail until Aug. 21, or until his case appears in Franklin County Superior Court. On Monday, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following quick proceedings in an Orange District Court courtroom full of media and family members of the deceased, family members delivered an emotional message at a press conference.

“Her true loves of her life were family and quilting,” Lisa Glover said of her sister. “Everyone in the family had received one of her quilting masterpieces at one point or another and they will be cherished forever.”

Amanda Glover’s daughter, Miranda Colombo, showed a picture of her mother to the cameras, while choking back tears.

“This was a cold and brazen execution that happened in plain sight of Amanda Glover’s own adult son,” Steven Gagne, first assistant Northwestern district attorney, said.

Starkey was found Sunday morning by Orange Police Sgt. James Sullivan, driving on Holtshire Road. Sullivan said Starkey soon told him, “You got the prize.”

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Starkey told the Orange Police he had been living in the woods since last Wednesday, sleeping in Glover’s car, a red Lincoln MKX with Vermont license plate QLTMKR, which he took from the crime scene, according to the court documents.

Gagne the relationship between Starkey and Glover was fraught with problems.

“It was not just out of the blue,” Gagne said. “This was the culmination of what had been some growing tension in their relationship.”

Following an argument early Wednesday, according to court documents, Starkey allegedly shot Glover in the upper torso and face area with a 12-gauge shotgun that he had purchased in 2014.

Glover’s 26-year-old son, Devin, who Gagne said was living in the home at 179 West St., was said to have witnessed the shooting. He came into the room where the two were, just past midnight after hearing them argue, Gagne said.

Following the shooting, Devin Glover fled into his bedroom, Gagne said. Starkey then allegedly fired several rounds into the closed bedroom door. Starkey is being charged with armed assault with intent to murder for this alleged act.

Devin Glover then took his phone and left the house and fled into the woods, calling 911, according to court documents.

“It’s a sad day for the Glover family and a tragic loss,” Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan said.

After the shooting in Wendell, according to police, Starkey drove more than an hour to Specialized Trucking company at 215 Griffith Road in Chicopee and fired a shot through a window at a worker there, injuring the employee with debris and glass shards.

After the gun jammed, the employee wrested the gun away from him, and Starkey took off, police said.

Gagne said he was not sure whether Starkey currently works at the company or whether he was a former employee.

The case involving the Chicopee shooting will involve a separate arraignment. The two cases, though, may be merged, given the nature of them, Gagne said. It was unclear from the court records and Gagne’s statements why Starkey fired the shot at the Chicopee business.

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