Home detention denied for I-89 murder suspect

A Burlington judge has denied a request for home detention by a woman who is accused of intentionally crashing her car and killing a Richmond EMT during a failed suicide attempt, court papers show.

Karri Benoir, 24, of Barre has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and grossly negligent driving with death resulting arising from the July crash on Interstate 89 that killed 30-year-old Brendon Cousino. She has been jailed at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington since November after state prosecutors say she violated her conditions of release by living without her court-assigned "responsible adult" — her mother.

Prosecutors say Benoir's mother, who had moved in with her daughter to help enforce court-ordered conditions, moved out after Benoir assaulted her. Police discovered Benoir's violation several weeks later.

State prosecutors asked that Benoir be held without bail and said home detention would present too much of a risk to public safety. Benoir's lawyer, Rob Sussman, had requested his client be released into home detention, saying the program was appropriate for Benoir, who had no criminal history. In the program, Benoir's location would be monitored by GPS.

Judge James Crucitti denied both the requests in a decision this week.

"The findings previously made by this court establish that the defendant poses an 'obviously substantial' risk to public safety in light of the risk of another suicide attempt," Crucitti wrote. "The court found that release to the custody of defendant's parents and a twenty-four hour curfew monitored by her parents were important in addressing the risk."

Defense seeks release of fatal crash suspect

The decision marked the third on Benoir's bail situation since July. Bail previously had been set at $100,000, and Benoir had been released to her parents after posting bail. The court ordered Benoir to obey a 24-hour curfew along with other conditions.

Crucitti wrote that Benoir's attack on her mother in addition to seven disciplinary infractions in prison and an attack on her boyfriend in July showed that "significant mental health issues exist." However, he stated that a character witness submitted a letter noting Benoir was "always in control of her emotions and able to handle challenges while at the workplace."

The GPS tracking system would be insufficient to ensure public safety because it does not provide immediate notification of violations, Crucitti added.

"Because of the substantial risk to public safety posed by the defendant ... this court finds that a significantly delayed reporting system is not sufficient to protect public safety in this case," Crucitti wrote. "If the defendant takes actions to harm herself, which may pose risks to others, immediate response is obviously necessary. This court believes that monitoring by another individual, as this court previously required by the responsible adult requirement, is necessary to protect public safety."

Defense lawyer Sussman told the Burlington Free Press on Thursday that the court's decision helped define the elements the defense needs to meet in order for Benoir to be released.

"The doors weren't shut entirely," Sussman said. "We've still been given an opportunity to pursue ways to get her out, and that's where we are right now. ... We are still working on it."

Attempts to reach Chittenden County Deputy State's Attorney Bram Kranichfeld after business hours Thursday were unsuccessful.

I-89 crash suspect's bail reviewed - again

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LizMurraySMC.