Trent Weston Obituary, Death – On Friday, authorities unveiled new information regarding a tragic incident where police fatally shot an armed man on the Interstate 95 bridge. This man is suspected of killing his wife and 8-year-old son prior to the confrontation with law enforcement.
The suspect has been identified as Trent Weston, a 37-year-old resident of Troy, New Hampshire. His identity was confirmed following an autopsy, which revealed that he died from multiple gunshot wounds. His death has been ruled a homicide resulting from a police shooting. Authorities have also identified his son as Benson Weston, an 8-year-old boy. Benson’s cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was classified as a homicide as well.
The ongoing investigation is focused on these tragic deaths and the homicide of Trent Weston’s wife, 37-year-old Brittany Weston, in Troy. An autopsy revealed that Brittany died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, and her death was also ruled a homicide.
At this stage of the investigation, officials have stated that “all evidence indicates that Trent Weston is responsible for the deaths of both Brittany and Benson Weston.”
The sequence of events leading to these tragic outcomes reached a climax on the Piscataqua River Bridge, which spans the border between New Hampshire and Maine, when police shot and killed Trent Weston in the early morning hours of Thursday. According to authorities, the incident began when Weston allegedly killed his wife at their home in Troy, New Hampshire, and then drove nearly 100 miles to the bridge where the final confrontation occurred.
During a press conference on Thursday, Col. William Ross, the chief of the Maine State Police, provided further details. He explained that York, Maine police received a 911 call at approximately 2:07 a.m. from a man who claimed to have been involved in a violent altercation with his wife in Troy, during which he stated his wife was dead. In response, New Hampshire State Police were dispatched to the residence in Troy, where they discovered Brittany Weston deceased.
At around 2:30 a.m., law enforcement from Kittery, Maine, located Trent Weston’s vehicle, which was parked in the middle of the Piscataqua River Bridge on the Maine side. Officers from both New Hampshire and Maine responded to the scene and attempted to negotiate with Weston, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The situation escalated when Weston exited his vehicle and brandished a firearm, prompting Maine State Police Trooper Craig Nilsen and two unnamed New Hampshire State Police troopers to open fire.
After being shot, Weston fell into the river below the bridge. His body was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard at around 8:30 a.m. that same morning, and he was declared dead.
At the scene, police discovered Benson Weston, the 8-year-old son of Trent Weston, in the back seat of the vehicle. Benson had been shot to death. Col. Ross noted that the police were unaware of the child’s presence in the car at the time of the shooting, and he emphasized that the child’s death was not caused by the gunfire from the troopers.
“Based on information we saw, it was very clear the officers involved in the shooting did not fire on that child,” Ross stated.
As per standard protocol, the troopers involved in the shooting of Trent Weston have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Photos taken at the original crime scene on Monadnock Road in Troy, which is near Keene, showed a New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit vehicle and several unmarked police cars outside a townhouse complex in a wooded area. The property was cordoned off with yellow police tape, indicating an active crime scene.
A neighbor of the Westons told NBC10 Boston that the family had moved into the home just over a month ago. This recent relocation added another layer of complexity to the investigation as authorities continue to piece together the events leading up to the tragic deaths of Brittany and Benson Weston, as well as the fatal police encounter with Trent Weston.
The case remains under investigation as authorities seek to understand the motives and circumstances behind this heartbreaking series of events.