Prosecutor: Wolusky drug promise fueled killing

Tristan Wolusky

DOVER, N.H. - The purported ringleader in the stabbing death of Madbury teen Aaron Wilkinson agreed to get a woman and her daughter OxyContin and Ecstasy shortly before the killing took place, providing a motive for the attack, a state prosecutor said at a pretrial hearing on Thursday.

The startling revelation was one of many to come out of the hearing held at Strafford County Superior Court in the last court appearance first-degree murder suspect Tristan Wolusky will make before the start of his September jury trial.

The defense countered the claim saying Wilkinson sold marijuana and cocaine but not the other two drugs, but prosecutor Stacey Kaelin said Wolusky had at one point told police that he knew Wilkinson was dealing crack cocaine, mushrooms, Xanax, OxyContin and Ecstasy.

The state has long painted Wolusky as the pointman in the vicious attack, which was carried out early the morning of June 21, 2014, when Wilkinson was stabbed to death in the driveway of his Evans Road home.

Michael Tatum, 22, of 236 Young Road, Barrington, and Zachary 'D.J.' Pinette, 19, of 5B Rankin St., Springvale, Maine, have already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and are expected to testify against Wolusky at the upcoming trial.

Aaron Wilkinson

Tatum and Pinette face 30 years to life in prison. Wolusky faces the possibility of life without parole.

Defense lawyers on Thursday also asked for Wilkinson's toxicology report, which showed he was using marijuana, cocaine and Clonazepam, a muscle relaxant, at the time of his death. Kaelin argued against it, asserting that the report would only confuse the jury as Wilkinson died of multiple stab wounds.

Another motion on Thursday hints at Wolusky defense lawyers strategy of pecking away at Tatum's and Pinette's credibility as they branded the two "star witnesses" who have flip-flopped their stories and been "absolutely deceptive."

Wolusky has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including first- and second-degree murder.

The trio is accused of killing the 18-year-old Wilkinson on the property of his 36 Evans Road home where he lived with his father.

Prosecutors say Wilkinson saw Wolusky shine a flashlight from some trees around 1:30 a.m. the night of the killing and told his dad he was going out to see the visitors.

His dad then went up to bed.

Court testimony reveals the three planned to rob Wilkinson of drug money they suspected he had. As Wilkinson came out to meet Wolusky, the other two hid.

The much-bigger Wolusky then is alleged to have wrestled Wilkinson to the ground, where he, along with Tatum and Pinette all stabbed Wilkinson with knives and a machete. The medical examiner said 22 stab wounds were identified, mostly to the back, head and shoulder.

The trio made off with Wilkinson's cellphone and about $37.

The next morning Wilkinson's dad realized his son was missing, went outside to investigate, found pools of blood in the driveway and called police.

Wilkinson's still-bleeding body was dumped along Long Swamp Road in Lebanon, where it was found the same day by a woman walking her dog.

All three suspects when interviewed by police initially said they had seen Wilkinson get into another car with a group of people and drive off, but eventually changed their stories and the charges were brought forward.