Friends and relatives of Robert Tulloch and James Parker, the two teens charged with the murder of Half and Susanne Zantop, are expecting subpoenas to the grand jury convening later this week.
Tulloch's girlfriend, Christiana Usenza, is among those who are likely to testify, according to Usenza's family friend Robert Sherman.
Sherman told The Union Leader yesterday that he expects most of Tulloch's and Parker's friends, as well as their parents, to be subpoenaed to the grand jury, which is scheduled to sit in Grafton County on Friday.
"She (Usenza) hasn't been asked yet. I'm assuming they are going to ask her and all the kids. I know of nobody yet who has been subpoenaed," Sherman said.
Ned Battey, whose son Kip was friends with Robert Tulloch, said his son hasn't been contacted. Battey said that the police "already have got all the information we certainly have to give," but added that his son, Kip, will testify again if asked to do so.
Battey said that his son and other teenage friends of Tulloch who have been questioned by the police "are coping as well as they can."
"It takes a long time to fully come to grips with something like this."
Fund for the families
Meanwhile, a fund has been set up in Chelsea, Vt., by DeRoss Kellogg, to support the suspects' families. Kellogg -- a sixth-grade teacher who has taught both Parker and Tulloch -- emphasized that the fund is not in any way intended to be a defense fund.
Kellogg said the Parkers and Tullochs have three dependent children between the two families and said he hopes the money raised will help compensate for lost wages, food, lodging and phone bills.
Kellogg, who has been living in the area for 25 years, said he had been planning this fund with some other Chelsea residents for the last couple of weeks.
According to Kellogg, "donations have already started to come in," only three days after the fund was officially established on Thursday.
Last Thursday, Chelsea residents also came together for their second community meeting in two weeks. And while Kellogg and others admitted that some of the initial shock has subsided, they said people are still concerned and trying to figure out ways to deal with the situation.
"It was a general group get-together," Kellogg said of the meeting. "We just discussed how everyone is doing."
Town residents also discussed the Zantops and their deeply-felt sorrow for the victims and their friends and families.
"There is a lot of empathy and sympathy for the Zantops in Chelsea," Kellogg said.
Battey said that people at the meeting also expressed their support for the families of the suspects and for Chelsea residents in general.
"The people [want] to make sure that we do whatever we can for the children in the town," Battey said.
Possible connections
Using an unnamed source, The Boston Herald reported that Patricia Davenport, the principal at Chelsea school, knew Half and Susanne, having met the couple while she worked at the Hanover middle school 20 years ago.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Kelly Ayotte refused to comment on any possible connection between Davenport and the Zantops.
Although Battey did not confirm the connection, he said that "it is certainly conceivable that she did know them" because she had been a teacher in that area.
