Verrill guilty in murders of Christine Sullivan, Jenna Pellegrini, faces 30 years to life

Timothy Verrill listens as a jury foreperson delivers a guilty verdict for second-degree murder in the brutal deaths of Christine Sullivan and Jenna Pellegrini (Court TV screenshot)

DOVER - The first trial in the fall of 2019 may have been a bit of a train wreck, but a meticulous, relentless prosecution by the state ensured nothing was going to derail its effort a second time.

Verrill, 41, formerly of Belknap Street in Dover, showed no emotion as the jury foreperson relayed the verdicts on Tuesday, finding Verrill guilty of two counts of second degree murder in the Jan. 27, 2017, deaths of Christine Sullivan, 48, of Farmington; and Jenna Pellegrini, 32, of Barrington. Both were found dead of multiple stab wounds. Pellegrini was stabbed 61 times, according to a coroner's report.

Verrill, who has been incarcerated since February 2017, faces 30 years to life in prison. He was also found guilty of falsifying evidence for hiding the bodies inside a tarp underneath a second-floor outdoor porch and cleaning up blood evidence on an indoor porch where Sullivan was stabbed and on a bloody mattress where Pellegrini was sleeping when she was slain.

The murders were committed at a 979 Meaderboro Road residence owned by Sullivan's boyfriend, Dean Smoronk, a convicted drug traffickers who was in Florida at the time of the women's deaths.

New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella issued a statement following Tuesday's verdict finding Verrill guilty of two counts of reckless second-degree murder as well as a finding of guilty on five charges of falsifying physical evidence.

"Our hearts go out to the families of Christine Sullivan and Jenna Pellegrini as well as to all those who knew and loved them," Formella said. "Today's verdict delivers justice, and we hope it also brings some solace to the victims' loved ones. Today we reaffirm our state's commitment to justice and the value of every life. I extend my thanks to our trial team, to the New Hampshire State Police, and to the Farmington Police Department for their tireless work on this case."

Verrill has been incarcerated since February 2017 when he was arrested in Massachusetts. His first trial in 2019 ended in a mistrial after it was learned the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit had failed to turn over massive amounts of evidence, some of which was exculpatory, meaning it may have benefited the defense.

Strafford Superior Court Judge Mark E. Howard did not set a sentencing date; they normally occur about three months after a verdict.