November 11, 2026To the Community:
After spending much of the past seven years involved in the criminal justice system following the 2019 murder of my brother, I’m convinced that the federal judicial system gives more consideration to the people committing crimes than the victims of those crimes. Not everyone can be rehabilitated, and keeping victims out of the process is wrong.
In this case, my brother David Auclair was murdered, and two people pleaded guilty and received sentences that we feel were completely incompatible with the severity of the crimes.
With time served and good behavior, Angela Auclair and Kory Lee George will be released roughly 11 years after sentencing—less than one year served per bullet fired at my brother.
It also was established in this case that two additional individuals were involved in stealing the murder weapon. One was never charged, and the other is the reason I am writing.
When John Turner, who was in a romantic relationship with Angela Auclair, was finally charged with federal gun offenses, family members of David were told that we were not considered victims because those charges were deemed unrelated to us.
Up until then, our victim advocate with the state police was amazing, and the victim advocate for the State's Attorney’s office in Chittenden County was great at keeping us informed during the main case. However, when we sought information about the gun case, which was repeatedly delayed, we were told that we were not entitled to notifications and needed to keep checking a website for updates.
In my internet searches, I found an article published in The Citizen newspaper for Hinesburg and Charlotte by Mike Donoghue on Aug. 13.
It reported that Turner had pled guilty and was sentenced for misprision of a felony—failing to report a crime he knew had taken place. He admitted to providing false statements to law enforcement for years. According to the plea agreement, he knowingly drove Kory George to a home in Colchester to burglarize it, where Kory stole four firearms, one of which was used to kill my brother. Turner then knowingly transported and stored those weapons overnight.
If one of the weapons helped steal and transport was then used in the murder of my brother—my parents' only son, and a father to his children—why are we not considered victims in this process?
Turner was sentenced to only two years of federal probation with no jail time, 150 hours of community service, and an $1,100 fine. His lawyer provided a 74-page sentencing memo with dozens of support letters. Meanwhile, as the actual victims, we were never given the opportunity to submit statements advocating for the maximum sentence.
David is gone forever, and yet we were completely left out of the process. Why don't the victims seem to matter, and how do we change this system so no other family has to go through this?
Waterbury State Rep. Theresa Wood is assisting me in connecting with local legislators and advocacy groups. However, I am trying to figure out where to turn to advocate for federal changes regarding victims' rights.
Missy Semprebon
Waterbury