St. Johnsbury, Vt. – December 28, 2009 – Vermont State Police received at 9-1-1 call at about 10 a.m. this morning that a woman was found unconscious in the parking lot of Green Mountain Mall in St. Johnsbury, Vt.

Rescue personnel then responded and it was determined that Anna Berwick, 45, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was deceased and that her death was the result of a violent act. 

Several State Troopers joined by a K-9 Unit from the Lyndonville Police Department responding to the scene.  A short while later, police located a potential suspect in the area identified as Ben Berwick, 49, of Lyndon, Vt.

Berwick emerged from the woods behind the mall and was suffering from an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound. He was then transported to Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital and later transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center where he is currently listed in stable condition.

Ben Berwick is the estranged husband of Anna and the two have been separated. In December of this year, Anna had been granted a Restraining Order against him in the Caledonia Family Court.

Vermont State Police Detectives, members of the State Police Crime Scene Search Team and the Chief Medical Examiner’s office responded to St. Johnsbury to investigate. The victim was transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

This investigation is ongoing and the victim’s death is being treated as a homicide.

12/28/09 Update: An arrest warrant, for the charge of homicide, has been issued through the Caledonia District Court for Benjamin Berwick, age 49. Berwick is currently listed in stable condition at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire where he is being treated for a self inflicted gunshot wound. The Grafton County Sheriff’s Department is currently working on the extradition process of Benjamin Berwick back to Vermont.

-Vermont Daily News report and State Police press information