The Associated Press - February 5, 2010
PLATTSBURGH, NY -- A retired New York state prison guard who eluded a manhunt for six days will face second-degree murder charges in the fatal shootings of his ex-girlfriend and the man she was dating, authorities said today. Anthony Pavone, 52, of Morrisonville was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Clinton County Court in Plattsburgh, where he was being flown with a police escort after his capture earlier in the day outside Binghamton. The fugitive surrendered around 4 this morning after dozens of law enforcement officers surrounded the small motel where he was staying, State Police Maj. Richard Smith said. Pavone's pickup truck was spotted in the parking lot of the Del Motel in Kirkwood late Thursday night by a Broome County sheriff's deputy, Smith said. Pavone was wanted for last weekend's killings of 52-year-old Timothy Carter and 43-year-old Patricia Howard at Carter's home in Dannemora, 140 miles north of Albany. Police didn't discuss a motive for the slayings during a news conference today. State police Capt. Robert LaFountain said investigators are trying to determine why Pavone went to the Binghamton area, 210 miles southwest of Dannemora, near the Canadian border. After police evacuated the motel, police began negotiating with Pavone to surrender. Pavone, who worked 25 years at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora before retiring in 2007, told police he was armed, but surrendered without incident after a more than four-hour standoff. Police say Howard and Pavone had dated but had recently broken up. Carter and Howard went on their second date last Saturday, Howard's birthday. Authorities said Howard called State Police before 4 a.m. Sunday to report that Pavone was outside the house and wouldn't leave. Troopers later arrived and found Howard and Carter dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Motel owner Ashok Patel told The Associated Press that Pavone checked into his $50-a-night room on Tuesday. He said police didnt tell him why they were interested in the guest in Room 20 at the 26-room motel, only that "they were looking for one guy with a black truck." Patel said he had no idea Pavone was wanted in connection with a double slaying. "His behavior is like a normal guy," Patel said. Carter had worked at Clinton state prison as civilian maintenance employee since November 2005. Howard, a divorced mother of two daughters, was a dental hygienist in Plattsburgh. Pavone's capture ended a six-day search involving numerous law enforcement agencies in northern New York. "Its a huge relief not only for law enforcement but also for the general public in this area and definitely for the family, friends and loved-ones of the victims," LaFountain said.
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