Pronto

Apr 11, 2023

Share this Tonight Updated: April 11, 2023 @ 3:08 pm Close Darren Pronto, who is charged with a 2021 murder in Bennington, has been sent back to prison after 90 days in the state psychiatric hospital. Bennington Police Department photo By Michael Albans, Bennington Banner Apr 11, 2023 Bennington Police Department photo Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. BENNINGTON — The saga of accused murderer Darren Pronto took another unexpected turn last Friday when the Vermont Department of Mental Health released him from the state psychiatric hospital and turned him over to the  Department of Corrections once again, leaving both prosecutors and the victim’s family guessing at what comes next. Pronto was remanded into the care of Mental Health last December. In a first for Vermont, all sides in the case agreed — after three separate court-ordered psychiatric evaluations came to the same conclusion that Pronto could not stand trial for the murder of 26-year-old Emily Hamann because of significant mental health issues — to a stipulation and order of confinement, allowing for the seamless transition from the criminal case to a secure mental health treatment facility without dismissing the criminal case. This stipulation allowed for Pronto’s case to be restarted immediately if he was ever released from the state psychiatric hospital and the care of DMH, including if he was moved to prison without bail rather than being released into the community. The stipulation was the brainchild of Deputy State’s Attorney Jared Bianchi, who saw the need for treatment and tried to balance that with the public's safety. Judge Kerry McDonald-Cady confirmed that stipulation when she remanded Pronto into the custody of DMH for a minimum of 90 days in December. After the initial 90-day period, DMH could either re-up Pronto for another 90-day hold at its hospital, transport him to the Middlesex Therapeutic Community Residence (a lower-level security treatment facility), or release him back into the custody of the DOC and prison, where the whole process could quite possibly start all over again. It is currently unknown why DMH decided to forgo moving Pronto to the Middlesex site or keep him at the psych hospital for another 90 days as allowed by the stipulation. “My guess would be either he escaped, he harmed somebody else, or most likely, he's just refusing to participate in his program and doesn’t meet acute care requirements,” says Kelly Carroll, mother of Emily Hamann. Pronto is alleged to have fatally slashed Hamann's throat while she walked along the Riverwalk in downtown Bennington in January 2021. “If DMH transfers him to the Middlesex Retreat, they cannot require that he takes his medication" Kelly Carroll said, referring to the lower security facility. "So he goes there, and it's a free for all to harm other patients and anybody else." Bianchi, who was instrumental in negotiating the ground-breaking stipulation that left little chance of Pronto being released back into the community, was also at a loss about the DMH decision and where this will all wind up. “Honestly, we don’t know right now why he’s being discharged, why he’s not being transferred to Middlesex, and where this goes from here,” Bianchi said. When asked whether this discharge could restart his competency question over again, Bianchi responded, “I’m not sure of that, either, at this point. That’s what the agreement allows.” A hearing on the discharge is scheduled for Thursday morning, where DMH will allegedly reveal why the decision regarding Pronto’s custody was made. All involved in the case will be present, including Kelly Carroll, but most likely without Pronto himself, who has refused to cooperate with any hearings, either in person or through video link. “I feel DMH might be sending him back because they don't know what else to do with him," said Bianchi. "If he's not going to comply, they can't jeopardize all of the people at the Middlesex facility." Carroll has been involved in a mental health working group for the past few years. She was instrumental in passing a bill allowing prosecutors to request a mental health competency examination with their own expert instead of relying on an examination with a defense-picked expert. That happened in this case — the prosecution was able to choose an expert to evaluate Pronto — for the first time in Vermont criminal justice history last year. She also advocated for the passage of Act 57 during the previous legislative session, a law that puts a new notification system in place. Pronto had been hospitalized after being criminally charged in another case before Emily’s murder, then returned to the community without the knowledge of public safety officials. Two new bills from the working group are being introduced into the Legislature soon that deal with some of the issues directly related to the Pronto case. The first one is S.89, which is an act that establishes a forensic facility for people like Pronto. The second, S.91 has to do with separating competency from insanity. Both bills will be introduced next week. Carroll is confident that those bills will alleviate some of the issues cases like Pronto’s raise for both the community and the families left behind. Emily Hamann was walking alone along the Riverwalk in downtown Bennington just before noon on Jan. 18, 2021, when police say Pronto jumped her and cut her throat after lying in wait. He was stopped by police a short distance from the murder scene, carrying a folding pocket knife covered in blood. Pronto had allegedly been released from DMH custody after he was deemed incompetent to stand trial in an earlier assault case in Pownal in 2018. He was released from the hospital months before murdering Hamann in broad daylight. “Honestly, I've been saying this for two years,” Carroll said. “What are you going to do with him? We don't have a place. You're just going to keep cycling him through, keep putting the family through this? Do we keep sending him back, again and again, going through the 'not competent' finding, hospitalization, then, at some point, releasing him into the community for another violent murder spree free for all through Bennington? Something has to change.” The DMH notice mentioned transition planning that is occurring between DMH and the DOC in regard to the custody hand-off.