Michael Addison was charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting of Officer Michael Briggs on Oct. 16, 2006. Investigators said the path to Briggs' shooting began days earlier with a string of violent crimes.
Police said that in the fall of 2006, Addison and Antoine Bell-Rogers were living a transient life, moving from one apartment to another, staying with friends and girlfriends.
On Oct. 10, 2006, shots were fired during a robbery at the El Mexicano Restaurant in Manchester. The next day, police said, the two held up a 7-Eleven in Hudson. On Oct. 15, 2006, shots were fired at an apartment building on Edward J. Roy Drive.
The next day, Briggs was responding to a domestic disturbance call on Lake Avenue with his partner, Officer John Breckenridge.
While passing Litchfield Lane, the officers spotted two men and ordered them to stop. Prosecutors said that as Briggs approached the two, Addison pulled a gun and fired a single shot into Briggs' head.
Bell-Rogers was arrested at the scene. Addison fled but was arrested hours later in Dorchester, Mass. Briggs died the following day.
"New Hampshire law allows the attorney general to pursue capital murder charges in circumstances such as this," said Attorney General Kelly Ayotte.
Briggs was the first Manchester police officer killed in the line of duty since 1976. His death sparked an outpouring of support from the community and law enforcement.
Addison now faces the possibility of being the first man executed in New Hampshire since the 1930s.
Defense attorneys said that Addison had no intention of killing a police officer, and his actions amount to the lesser crime of second-degree murder.
In an odd twist, it was discovered that the suspect was the same man who's life Officer Briggs had saved in 2003 following a shooting.
The trial is expected to last up to two months.
Police said that in the fall of 2006, Addison and Antoine Bell-Rogers were living a transient life, moving from one apartment to another, staying with friends and girlfriends.
On Oct. 10, 2006, shots were fired during a robbery at the El Mexicano Restaurant in Manchester. The next day, police said, the two held up a 7-Eleven in Hudson. On Oct. 15, 2006, shots were fired at an apartment building on Edward J. Roy Drive.
The next day, Briggs was responding to a domestic disturbance call on Lake Avenue with his partner, Officer John Breckenridge.
While passing Litchfield Lane, the officers spotted two men and ordered them to stop. Prosecutors said that as Briggs approached the two, Addison pulled a gun and fired a single shot into Briggs' head.
Bell-Rogers was arrested at the scene. Addison fled but was arrested hours later in Dorchester, Mass. Briggs died the following day.
"New Hampshire law allows the attorney general to pursue capital murder charges in circumstances such as this," said Attorney General Kelly Ayotte.
Briggs was the first Manchester police officer killed in the line of duty since 1976. His death sparked an outpouring of support from the community and law enforcement.
Addison now faces the possibility of being the first man executed in New Hampshire since the 1930s.
Defense attorneys said that Addison had no intention of killing a police officer, and his actions amount to the lesser crime of second-degree murder.
In an odd twist, it was discovered that the suspect was the same man who's life Officer Briggs had saved in 2003 following a shooting.
The trial is expected to last up to two months.
