Vermont woman guilty of murdering son and ex boyfriend

A woman accused of fatally shooting her fiance and his son on the day he ended their engagement in 2014 has been convicted on two counts of aggravated murder.  

The jury returned the verdict Wednesday against 65-year-old Robin O'Neill on charges of aggravated murder in the deaths of 60-year-old Steven Lott and his son, 28-year-old Jamis Lott. Under Vermont law, the conviction carries an automatic sentence of life without parole.

Police say Steven Lott and O'Neill had recently ended their relationship and had been living together in Townshend at the time of the shooting. Jamis Lott had been visiting. 

Robin O'Neill in court after a jury convicted her in the fatal shooting of her ex and his son

O'Neill's mug shot, taken after her 2014 arrest (left), she is convicted in the murder of Jamis Lott (pictured right) and his father Steven Lott 

O'Neill called a co-worker and said she had shot Lott and his son, according to a police affidavit. The co-worker called police. 

Police said O'Neill appeared to be drunk when they arrived at the Townshend residence.

And as she was being driven away by police, she recited prayers, requested red wine and cigarettes, and told herself, 'you can go to prison for the rest of your life, 'cause you killed the (expletive).' 

In an interview, O'Neill said she and Lott had been engaged since July, but the relationship started getting 'weird' in September, with Lott spending time with a female friend, the affidavit said.

RELATED ARTICLES

• Previous
• 1
• Next

• EXCLUSIVE: 'A nice surprise': How wife of wanted pilot... 'My new place': Excited mistress posts haunting footage of... 'She said no over and over again': Woman who took part in... Father accused of murdering his five-year-old son to get...

Share this article

O'Neill told police she and Lott had gotten into several arguments in recent weeks in which he had become physical with her. 

'O'Neill told us she had multiple bruises on her body from Lott,' Detective Scott Dunlap wrote. 'During her interview, I observed bruising on both of O'Neill's arms.'

She told another officer that Lott had been 'beating the holy c**p out of me,' police said.

One day in 2014, Lott told her the engagement was off, the affidavit said.

That night, she told police she drank a lot of wine, and Lott's son showed up to do laundry, the affidavit said.  

Lott's family members hug after the guilty verdict is read in court

The two men talked in the kitchen, and Lott said she doesn't remember what happened next. 

She said she either picked up a gun or had the gun in her hand and saw the two men on the floor in a pool of blood, the affidavit said. 

An acquaintance told police Lott had mentioned an argument he had with O'Neill as they lay in bed Nov. 15. 

'O'Neill told Lott, 'I'll fix you,'' court papers say, recounting the alleged incident. 'O'Neill then leaned over to her bedside stand, and Lott reached across and slapped the drawer out of her hands. 

Lott knew O'Neill had a gun, and he thought she was getting her gun. Lott got up quickly, got dressed and got out of there.'

Defense attorney Ian Carleton, declined to comment, according to the Brattleboro Reformer.  

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWKBd4GRam5tZ4aav667za1ksKedlrtus9Sio62xXaLCs7DEq6Cnn12ovK95xLFkm6epm7%2Bqsc2dZaGsnaE%3D