STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 25B1000453
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Trooper Brandon Groh
STATION: Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Troop B East – Westminster
CONTACT#: 802-722-4600
DATE/TIME: 9:05 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025
INCIDENT LOCATION: Southern State Correctional Facility, Springfield, Vermont
INCIDENT TYPE: Death investigation
VICTIM: William J. Barrett
AGE: 63
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Brattleboro, VT
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of William J. Barrett, 63, of Brattleboro, Vermont, who was found unresponsive in his cell by Department of Corrections staff at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. DOC staff called for emergency medical services to respond to the facility while attempting life-saving measures. Barrett was pronounced deceased at the facility at about 9:05 a.m.
The Department of Corrections notified the Vermont State Police that Barrett was pronounced dead. An autopsy will be performed at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death.
Per standard protocol for deaths involving inmates, a detective from the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations was assigned to the case and responded to the prison to begin an investigation. The death does not appear to be suspicious and is suspected to be the result of a medical event.
Barrett had been in custody since 2024 on charges of sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16, promoting a sexual recording, furnishing alcohol to a minor, disseminating indecent material to a minor, and sexual assault without consent.
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.
The DOC Corrections Investigative Unit will review the fatality according to departmental policy.
More information on deaths in custody and death investigation findings can be found on DOC’s website:
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