Trial of Springfield, Massachusetts man charged with Vermont double-murder likely to begin next spring

BRATTLEBORO — The trial of a Springfield, Massachusetts man charged with shooting a couple to death in 2017 likely won’t begin until next spring.

Justin Orwat, 44, has denied his role in the deaths of former Holyoke resident Steven Lovely, 43, and Brattleboro resident Amanda Sanderson, 35, The Brattleboro Reformer reported.

Bath salts and Klonopin made Vermont double homicide suspect Justin Orwat, of Springfield, Mass., paranoid and violent, court documents state

Springfield resident Justin Orwat continues to be held without right to bail on a fugitive from justice charge at the Hampden County House of Correction in Ludlow.

Orwat, who allegedly shot the couple following a drug-fueled bender, went on to set the Townshend cabin where they had been staying ablaze, according to investigators. Liquid accelerant had been used in at least nine locations around the cabin, they said.

Orwat is being held without bail.

Windham County Deputy State’s Attorney Steven Brown, speaking during a court hearing on Tuesday, told a judge that pretrial preparations in the complex case likely won’t be complete until next spring, the Reformer reported.

Orwat has an extensive criminal history in Western Massachusetts, including a 12-15 year prison sentence for his role in a gang-related murder in 1995.

He was arrested by Springfield, Massachusetts police on four unrelated warrants about 12 hours after the Townshend homicides.