Homicide charges filed against two

QUENTIN MILLARD ANDREA MARTEL

UPDATE/CORRECTION: This article has been updated to correct information contained in the original report. In the affidavit of probable cause filed by state police, Ronald Kowalewski was incorrectly identified as being the step father of Quentin Millard.  Mr. R. Kowalewski is NOT Millard’s step father. The Independent apologizes for the error.

BY STACI WILSON

John Amrein went missing the morning of his 52nd birthday on Monday, Sept. 3, and never returned to his Oakland Twp. home.

The missing person investigation led police to discover Amrein had been murdered that day. Now, a man and a woman face homicide charges in his death.

Quentin Millard, 22, New Milford, and Andrea Martel, 20, Hallstead, were both charged with criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse. They are being held without bail in the Susquehanna County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing for Millard has been scheduled for Nov. 8, at 9 a.m. in New Milford District Court. Martel’s hearing was scheduled for Monday, Sept. 10, but was continued. No date has been set as of press time.

Martel was taken into custody by police on Tuesday, Sept. 4; a search for Millard in the Highlands Road area of New Milford Twp. ended with his capture on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at about 6:15 p.m.

According to the affidavit, Martel contacted Amrein’s brother, Samuel French, to tell him she had argued with him on Sunday, Sept. 2, at Harmony Creek Pub. Amrein, French and Martel were all employed by FedEx.

Martel’s neighbor was interviewed on Sept. 4 and reported seeing a dark-colored SUV pull into Martel’s trailer at about 6 a.m. that morning; and Millard exit the vehicle. The neighbor told police she witnessed Millard place plywood into the SUV and that he and Martel loaded something into the vehicle and left.

A search warrant was executed at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 5 at Martel’s Madison Circle home. Police observed apparent blood spatter on the ceiling and wall; blood on a blue chair and towel beneath chair.

A bottle of all-purpose cleaner with an apparent blood smear was also observed.

The blood spatter on the wall tested positive for human blood,

Investigators first interviewed Martel at the Gibson barracks. She told them Amrein came to her home Monday morning and she told him she was pregnant and that he was possibly the father. She went on to say that Amrein became irate and pushed her, then walked out of the residence and left on foot. She told police she then called Millard.

But, according to the affidavit, Martel’s statements seemed to change during questioning. At first she told police she didn’t know if Millard was at her home when Amrein was there, then said he was not.

She also told investigators that she had driven Amrein’s vehicle to a property on Highlands Rd.; borrowed Millard’s mother’s vehicle and returned to her home; then she and Millard returned that vehicle and drove Amrein’s back to her home, retrieved items and returned to Highlands Rd. and hid Amrein’s SUV.

Millard’s step father consented to a search by police of his Highlands Rd. property and Amrein’s vehicle was located hidden behind a storage trailer and garage.

According to the affidavit, Martel was interviewed again by police Tuesday evening and her story changed. She then told investigators Millard was at her home when Amrein arrived and she and the victim argued.

She told police Millard struck Amrein in the head with an object, and then the victim pulled out a handgun and there was a physical altercation that ended with Millard being shot in the arm and Amrein shot in the leg.

According to the affidavit, Martel told police Millard left the residence and she heard Amrein snoring. Martel said Millard entered her bedroom and said, “Stay here while I take care of this.”

She told police she later came out of the room to find Amrein bleeding profusely from his head and that he appeared deceased. Martel said they wrapped his body in garbage bags and drove it to the Highlands Rd. property, placing Amrein’s body in a wooded area.

About 90 minutes after that interview, Martel again changed her story to police about events that occurred leading up to Amrein’s death. In that statement, she admitted to sending a text message from the victim’s phone to his girlfriend Monday, Sept. 3, at about 11:15 a.m., and Martel said she then realized Amrein was deceased.

She told police that the victim’s body was dragged for about 20 minutes and that she assisted Millard with using a stick to dig a hole for his body.

According to the affidavit, police have more information in the case that has not yet been released.

 

 

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