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Springvale teen pleads guilty to Madbury murder

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Strafford County Sheriff's Deputies lead Zachary Pinette into a Strafford Superior Court courtroom today where he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Aaron Wilkinson. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photo)

DOVER, N.H. - The Springvale teenager involved in the grisly stabbing death of a Madbury teenager last June pleaded guilty to second-degree murder today during a plea sentencing at Strafford County Superior Court.

Zachary (D.J.) Pinette. 19, of Springvale, wearing standard issue orange jail clothing and speaking in a low monotone, pleaded guilty to all three charges before him, which also included robbery and falsifying physical evidence.

Under the plea agreement, Pinette would get 30 years to life in prison for the second-degree murder charge, with shorter sentences on the other two, which would both be suspended for 10 years upon his release as long as he stayed on good behavior.

Pinette, along with Michael Tatum, 19, of Barrington, and Tristan Wolusky, 18, of Rochester are all charged in the death of Aaron Wilkinson, 18, of Madbury, last June.

The suspects are accused of killing Wilkinson sometime around 1:30 a.m. on June 21 on the property of his 36 Evans Road home where he lived with his father.

Prosecutor Peter Hinkley said today that Wilkinson saw Wolusky shine a flashlight from some trees on the Evans Road property around 1:30 a.m. the night of the murder and told his dad he was going out to see him.

His dad then went up to bed. The next morning he realized his son was missing, went outside to investigate and found pools of blood in the driveway and called police.

Court testimony today said the three planned to rob Wilkinson of drug money they suspected he had. Hinkley said in his narrative of the crime, that Wolusky wrestled Wilkinson to the ground and he, along with Tatum and Pinette all stabbed him. Hinkley said 22 stab wounds were identified.

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.

Wolusky has been charged with first-degree murder which can bring a life sentence. His trial is expected to begin in June.

Tatum had been scheduled for a plea sentencing today along with Pinette but it was moved to a later date.

Pinette's sentencing won't be formally handed down until after the conclusion of Wolusky's trial.

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