STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 22B1000009
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Trooper Tyler Noyes
STATION: Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Troop B East – Westminster
CONTACT#: 802-722-4600
DATE/TIME: 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023
INCIDENT LOCATION: Springfield Hospital, Springfield, VT
INCIDENT TYPE: Death investigation
VICTIM: Henry Butson
AGE: 74
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: St. Johnsbury, Vermont
The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of prison inmate Henry Butson, 74, who had been incarcerated at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. Butson, originally from St. Johnsbury, was brought by ambulance from the facility to Springfield Hospital at about 6 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, after experiencing difficulty breathing and other medical problems. Butson received emergency care at the hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after 9 a.m.
Following standard procedure, the Department of Corrections notified the Vermont State Police of Butson’s death at about 10 a.m. Sunday. A detective responded to Springfield Hospital to perform a death investigation. The preliminary investigation does not indicate the death is suspicious and is believed to be the result of a medical event that followed a decline in Butson’s health. An autopsy will be performed at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death.
Butson has been in custody since June 8, 2003, and was serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison following his conviction for two counts of second-degree murder. He had been in the infirmary at Southern State since Dec. 2, 2022.
No additional information is currently available. The investigation is ongoing, and the Vermont State Police will provide updates when possible. Further questions should be directed to the Department of Corrections.