A former Haverhill, N.H. man, who officials have said they believe was one of the two apparent triggermen at a 2018 homicide in the Northeast Kingdom was sentenced Friday to 9 years

BURLINGTON — A former Haverhill, N.H. man, who officials have said they believe was one of the two apparent triggermen at a 2018 homicide in the Northeast Kingdom, was sentenced Friday to 9 years in federal prison. John Welch, 37, was one of three people present when Michael Pimental, 37, of Waterford, was fatally shot in his home at 2394 Duck Pond Road on Oct. 13, 2018, officials said. Just who actually pulled the triggers of the two guns used that night remains in doubt, according to lawyers in U.S. District Court on Friday afternoon. Welch pleaded guilty on April 26, 2022, to a felony charge of being an accessory after the killing of Pimental during a drug trafficking crime by assisting in the disposal of shell casings and a firearm in October 2018. The indictment said that those actions were designed to hinder and prevent apprehension, trial, and punishment for the crime.