Suspects in Waterbury homicide now face federal drug charges
May 15, 2025 | By Mike Donoghue | Correspondent BURLINGTON — Two men from Springfield, Massachusetts, who are charged in state court in a drug-debt homicide case in Waterbury last fall, have now been indicted by federal authorities as part of a major drug trafficking conspiracy based in Vermont.
Fabrice “Savage” Rumama, 21, and Samuel “Smitty” Niyonsenga, 19, are charged with knowingly and intentionally conspiring with others to distribute crack cocaine and more than 40 grams of fentanyl between September and October 2024 in Vermont and elsewhere.
They both pleaded not guilty during separate arraignments in U.S. District Court in Burlington on Tuesday afternoon. The 40-gram quantity of fentanyl triggers the maximum penalty, if convicted, of up to 40 years, records show.
Rumama and Niyonsenga were ordered held without bail at the request of prosecutor Jared Engelking, a trial attorney from the Violent Crime & Racketeering Section for the U. S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
State troopers at Kneeland Flats Mobile Home Park on Oct. 14, 2024. File photo by Cheryl Casey
The issue of bail in the federal case in Vermont was moot because Rumama and Niyonsenga are both being held without bail on state homicide charges.
Washington County State's Attorney Michelle Donnelly has charged Rumama and Niyonsenga with both second-degree murder and aiding in the commission of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Shawn Spiker, 34, of Croyden, New Hampshire, on Oct. 14, 2024.
Spiker was gunned down about 12:45 a.m. at the Kneeland Flats Mobile Home Park in Waterbury Center, State Police Detective Sgt. Seth Richardson said in a state court affidavit.
Michael Perry, 57, of Waterbury, was also wounded during the shooting, said Richardson, who is assigned to the Major Crime Unit.
Donnelly said this week the state homicide charges, which carry up to life in prison, remain pending against both men.
A motion to consider Niyonsenga as a youthful offender and to send his case to Family Court for secret proceedings was initially filed by the defense. Records show that request has since been withdrawn.
Niyonsenga was also charged with an unrelated case of felony fentanyl trafficking for a reported sale before the shooting, police said.
Donnelly has maintained the evidence against Rumama and Niyonsenga is great. Vermont Judge Michael Harris agreed with her in a 17-page decision in which he ordered both men held without bail.
Harris ruled that “the court finds that the release of Defendants would constitute danger to the public and there is a risk of flight from prosecution.”
Engelking, the federal prosecutor, said at Tuesday’s federal court hearing that there is considerable evidence to share with the defense. It includes law enforcement reports, search warrants, photos, audio and video of drug buys, lab reports, and cellphone extractions, he said.
Federal Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle agreed on Tuesday with a request by defense lawyer Natasha Sen, who represents Rumama, for 120 days to explore the case and to consider pre-trial motions.
Sen said the case involves multiple defendants tied to other cases. However, she did not identify the cases at the arraignment or after the hearing.
Doyle set a Sept. 10 deadline.
When defense lawyer Matthew D. Anderson of Rutland appeared for Niyonsenga, Doyle offered the same four-month deadline.
Sen said if the homicide charges are dismissed for some reason in state court, she may seek to revisit the bail issue in federal court.
The nation of origin for both defendants was not listed in court papers, but Doyle told both defendants during their respective arraignments that under a U.S. treaty, the federal government may be required to notify the consulate for their homeland.
Rumama and Niyonsenga fled the mobile home in Waterbury after the shooting and returned to a residence in the town of Orange, where they had been dealing drugs, Richardson wrote. A cooperating person at the residence said the homicide was soon discussed, records show.
State police, along with Homeland Security Investigations, raided the residence on U.S. 302 in Orange on Oct. 18 after obtaining a search warrant. Rumama and Niyonsenga tried to flee, but both were eventually caught, police said.
Investigators found fentanyl in both bulk and individual packages, two handguns, an AR-style rifle, ammunition and about $3,000 in cash, Richardson said.
The Orange house was part of another ongoing drug investigation, police said.
Previous coverage of the October incident: