NEWPORT — A 64-year-old Brownington man was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend’s son at a camp where he had been barred from entering.
Michael Chadwick of Brownington pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Lamoille County Superior Court for the 2022 shooting death of Mark Benjamin, 42. The sentence includes a suspended portion of five additional years.
Prosecutors said Chadwick shot Benjamin on September 21, 2022, just one day after Benjamin’s mother obtained a final relief from abuse order against Chadwick. Benjamin was leaving the Belvidere camp after changing its locks when Chadwick fired two shots through an open car window, striking Benjamin in the arm and neck.
The shooting occurred at a property on Bog Road that Chadwick had been prohibited from visiting under the abuse order. After a standoff with police, Chadwick surrendered and has remained in custody since.
Chadwick is currently held at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. The defense had sought a 12-year sentence, while prosecutors requested 17 years.
