Two men dead, one hospitalized in Dalton shooting

Posted in Related Deaths

4-12-2012 New Hampshire:

DALTON -- Two men are dead and a third was hospitalized following what law enforcement officials are calling an apparent shooting incident. The incident occurred yesterday at the residence of Wayne Ainsworth at 643 Whitefield Road in Dalton.

A joint press release issued early yesterday evening by N.H. Attorney General Michael A. Delaney, State Police Colonel Robert Quinn, Dalton Police Chief Mario Audit, and Whitefield Police Chief William Colborn said all three men, whose identities have not yet been released, had apparent gunshot wounds. The identities of the men were withheld last night pending notification of family members. Police said autopsies for the two deceased men will be scheduled.

Ainsworth made headlines in January 2010, when he was married to Joseph Besk, an inmate at the Northern NH Correctional Facility in a prison ceremony. At the time Besk was serving a 10-20 year sentence on felonious sexual assault charges. The two men met in prison while Ainsworth was also serving a 10-year sentence, the last five of which was spent in the same cell as Besk. The marriage was believed to be the first same sex marriage in the NH Correctional System.

It is unclear whether Ainsworth or Besk were involved in the Thursday afternoon incident. According to the NH sex offender online registry, both men resided at the Whitefield Road address.

Police said the investigation is still ongoing but there is no reason to believe the public is in danger. ..Source.. by Melissa Grima

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2 men killed at registered NH sex offenders' home

DALTON, N.H.—Two men were shot to death Thursday at a northern New Hampshire home listed on the state's sex offender registry. A third man was injured in the shooting.

Wayne Ainsworth, who lived in the home, was injured and was in stable condition at a hospital, said his sister, Shari Souliere, who was briefed by police. She didn't know who else may have been living in the home, and she wasn't provided with details about what may have transpired, she said.

Investigators didn't release the victims' names or other details about the investigation. But the attorney general's office said there was no threat to the public.

The state's sex offender registry lists two offenders at the address, 54-year-old Ainsworth and 48-year-old Joseph Besk. Both were convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault. A story by The Berlin Daily Sun says the two married in 2010, while Besk was finishing his prison sentence.

State police were originally alerted around 1:15 p.m. Thursday.

Hours later, crime scene tape blocked the dirt road leading to the home at 643 Whitefield Road, and the attorney general's major crime unit was processing the scene Thursday evening. The attorney general's office said autopsies on the two deceased victims were scheduled. ..Source.. by Boston.com

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Roommate Shot Couple, Then Killed Himself

4-14-2012 New Hampshire:

DALTON, N.H. -- Investigators said it was the third man at the home of a Dalton married couple who fired the shots in what they're calling a murder-suicide.

Killed Thursday afternoon were Joseph Besk, 48, of Dalton, and Christopher Smith, 45.

Surviving is Wayne Ainsworth, 54, of Dalton.

According to a statement issued Friday from the office of the New Hampshire Attorney General, "The cause of Mr. Besk's death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the chest and neck, and the manner of death has been classified as a homicide. The cause of Mr. Smith's death was a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of his death has been classified as a suicide."

The investigation continues and no motive has been given in the incident that took place at the home at 643 Whitefield Road.

Besk and Ainsworth, who met in prison, made news in January 2010 when they were married at the Northern Correctional Facility, in Berlin, in what was likely the first wedding ceremony to take place in a prison since the state's same-sex marriage law went into effect Jan. 1 of that year.

On Friday, Besk's father, John Besk, of Merrimack, said he came to Dalton a month ago to visit his son, who he said was happy and looking for a fresh start in life by returning to school and starting a business.

Also on Friday, Joel White, a lifelong friend of Ainsworth, said Ainsworth has a sharp mind and love of books and has suffered a string of recent tragedies, including the loss of his father, mother and second wife.

Sources said that after the shooting Ainsworth was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon. On Friday, Dartmouth officials said the name of Ainsworth is not on the patient list that authorizes them to disclose patient information.

According to the Associated Press, Ainsworth's sister, Shari Souliere, said on Thursday that Ainsworth is in stable condition.

Both Ainsworth and Besk served prison sentences for convictions of sexual assault against minors and are listed on the New Hampshire Sex Offender Registry. Ainsworth was released in 2006 after serving a 10-year sentence and Besk was released last year after serving 18½ years.

John Besk and White had previously met Smith and both said Smith seemed pleasant and not the type of person who would commit the violence that took place Thursday. John Besk said he saw no signs of any trouble.

"He seemed like the nicest guy in the world," White said of Smith. "It seemed like the last thing you'd expect from him."

Both said Smith came from Maine. White said Smith had been living at the home off and on for several years. John Besk said Smith was a roommate who helped out by paying rent.

"We were shocked," John Besk said upon hearing that his son had been killed. "My daughter and nephew had just talked to him the night before. He was doing real well. He was happy."

Joseph Besk was registering for college courses in Berlin and trying to find a job and get his life back on track, said John Besk.

"He was a good son," said John Besk. "There was no problem when he was a kid. He just made a mistake due to being on drugs. He served 18 and a half years. He paid for it."

John Besk said Joseph Besk has two sons, ages 26 and 21, from a previous marriage.

Ainsworth also has children, a son and a daughter, from his first marriage, said White.

White said Ainsworth's second wife died suddenly several years ago, and in 2010, both his mother and father died, and all, he said, at the same house at which the shooting took place.

"He's lost a lot in a short amount of time," said White.

White, who runs White's Septic Service in Dalton, said he grew up with Ainsworth, whose family has a history in Dalton.

"He lived in South Berwick, Maine, and his parents had a camp on [Dalton] Mountain," said White. "That's how I met Wayne. He has always been really smart."

White said Ainsworth got high marks in high school, and after being sent to prison for what he said was a wrongful accusation, said Ainsworth was instrumental in advancing the prison library in Concord and setting up the prison library in Berlin. After his release, White said Ainsworth took courses at the technical college in Berlin.

White said he hires Ainsworth regularly for jobs and saw him as recently as last week.

"I'm just glad Wayne's alive," White said.

John Besk communicated with his son last week on the telephone.

"He seemed happy and was planning on coming down to visit," said John Besk. "He was doing good and straightening his life out and then this happened." ..Source.. by The Caledonian-Record