Global InformationMurder of Michael Briggs information
The murder of Michael Briggs occurred on October 16, 2006, in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States. Briggs, a police officer, was shot while on duty and was transported to the hospital, where he died of his injuries. The suspect, Michael "Stix" Addison, fled New Hampshire, prompting a manhunt by police. Fifteen hours after the shooting, Addison was arrested in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was charged by Boston Police with being a fugitive from justice. He waived domestic extradition and was transported back to New Hampshire.[1]
Addison was transported to the Suffolk County Jail in New Hampshire where his bail was set at $2 million (2006 US$).[2][3] New Hampshire prosecutors sought the death penalty for Michael Addison, since killing the police officer qualified the crime as a capital murder. There was ongoing debate about capital punishment in New Hampshire, which had not executed anyone since Howard Long in 1939.[4] A string of crimes that began a week earlier and culminated with the shooting of Officer Briggs on October 16, 2006 resulted in the arrest and questioning of two more people connected with Addison.[5]
A week after the shooting, a memorial service and procession were held for Briggs in Manchester, New Hampshire, on October 21, 2006. In January 2007, the Manchester Police Department retired Michael Briggs' badge number in honor of the fallen officer. In March 2007, a trial date for Addison was set for early September 2008.
This was the first trial for capital murder in the state since Gordon E. Perry was indicted for the capital murder of Officer Jeremy Charron in 1997. At the conclusion of the trial, Michael Addison was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.[6] Addison is the only person on death row in New Hampshire. The state supreme court upheld his conviction and sentence in 2014–2015. The US Supreme Court declined to hear his case.
- ^ New Hampshire Police Association. "Officer Michael Briggs". Archived from the original on November 28, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
- ^ "Officer Michael Briggs". The Officer Down Memorial Page. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
- ^ "Capital murder suspect in court". The Telegraph. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
- ^ Jonathan Saltzman (October 19, 2006). "N.H. revives death-penalty issue". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
- ^ "Up to 30 to 60 days before Addison is returned to New Hampshire". Portsmouth Herald. Associated Press. 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ New York Times (August 25, 1997). "Another State Trooper Killed in New Hampshire". Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved December 8, 2009.