New Hampshire
Even before Trump verdict, most N.H. voters already had their minds made up – The Boston Globe
“A lot of people are focused on putting food on the table. A lot of people are focused on not getting fired from their job, or keeping their families together,” he said.
So even before the jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts Thursday night, Register was confident: The trial’s outcome alone would be unlikely on its own to change the minds of many voters in New Hampshire, where analysts generally view President Biden as somewhat favored to win, though recent polling suggests he has no more than a slight edge over Trump.
“I think the people that are going to vote for Trump are going to vote for Trump,” Register said Wednesday, after a veterans roundtable hosted by the Biden campaign. “I think independents that are still undecided are going to stay undecided. I think the Democrats need to get out and vote.”
Register said he is among the undeclared voters who comprise a plurality of New Hampshire’s electorate. And, like a majority of the state’s population, he was born elsewhere. Originally from North Carolina, he moved to New Hampshire in 2021 after his military service. He said he used to vote for Republican presidential candidates, but sees Trump as a self-serving threat to American norms and the rule of law. So he’s actively supporting Biden.
Register isn’t alone in his assessment that Granite Staters — who handed Trump a victory over former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in the first-in-the-nation GOP primary in January — have mostly made up their minds on who they prefer in the Trump-Biden showdown. And reactions to the verdict reflect that.
“If you’re on Team Trump, this just hardens the resolve,” said Wayne Lesperance, a political science professor and the president of New England College. For those on Team Biden? “It feels good: He’s been held accountable.”
But there is also a middle group, Lesperance said. The group includes some Haley voters who are still wrestling with whether to throw their support behind the presumptive GOP nominee, as Haley has. While this segment may be fairly small, it could have an outsize influence in New Hampshire, he said.
“It’s the only segment that has the potential to move the needle for either Trump or Biden,” he added.
J.P. Marzullo, 80, of Deering, N.H., is somewhere in that middle group. He’s a former vice chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party and a former state representative. He initially supported former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s bid for presidency, then turned to Haley after Christie dropped out.
Marzullo has mixed feelings about Trump’s conviction. On the one hand, he said the justice system worked and jurors did a good job. On the other, he still wants to know more details about how and why the case played out the way it did.
“Honestly, I’m still kind of sitting there, trying to figure out what I’m going to do,” he said on Friday.
Marzullo said he has lingering questions. He noted that Judge Juan Merchan made donations to Biden in 2020 ($15 to the campaign and $20 to progressive organizations, as NBC News reported). He’s also mulling Fox News commentary about Merchan’s alleged bias against Trump.
“It bothers me a little because I think the justice system worked,” Marzullo said, “but people are going to question those things, and I think rightfully so.”
Marzullo said the verdict will likely split Haley voters, with some backing Trump because they think he was “taken advantage of,” while others remain conflicted.
“I mean, to vote for a felon, for me, is going to be difficult,” he said.
Difficult, but not impossible.
Others contend the verdict will dramatically drive turnout for Trump.
“The American public is smart and they will see through this farce,” said Michael Biundo, a veteran Republican political strategist in New Hampshire who advised Trump’s campaign in 2016 and advised a political action committee that supported Vivek Ramaswamy’s candidacy in 2024. “I think it solidifies his base and moves people that just think that this whole case was done for political reasons. The Democrats have overplayed their hands.”
Recent polling of likely New Hampshire voters found that 37 percent of those who identify with the Republican Party and 14 percent of those who identify as independent said a conviction in this case would make them “much” more likely to vote for Trump, according to the University of New Hampshire Survey Center — but it’s not entirely clear how many of those respondents would cast a vote for Trump anyway. The survey found that 85 percent of likely New Hampshire voters had “definitely decided” who they will support in November.
Bobby Yoho, a construction worker who lives in Alexandria, N.H., said while enjoying a sunny Friday afternoon with his family at the Franklin Falls Dam that Trump’s conviction was “trash.” He called it an abuse of the justice system and said Trump’s other legal challenges are also part of a politically motivated witch hunt.
Yoho, a registered Republican, said he was pleased with how Trump ran the country, noting that costs went down and wages went up. He felt Trump did exactly what he said he would do, and the felony conviction won’t shake his support for the former president.
“It doesn’t change anything for me,” he said.
While many New Hampshire voters may be dead-set in their presidential selections at this point, Dante Scala, a UNH political science professor, said it would be worthwhile to keep an eye on two groups: progressives and independents.
There are progressives upset with Biden over his handling of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, and Trump’s conviction might provide a basis for Democrats to reinvigorate some of that diminished support, he said. And there are casual independents who aren’t particularly plugged into the political process; the phrase “convicted felon” might make a difference for them.
Scala said it’s also important to remember where the conviction landed in the 2024 political calendar.
“This isn’t an October surprise. It’s a May surprise,” he said. “There’s an awful long time until people actually go to vote, and there’s an awful long time for this to settle in.”
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter. Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Man Convicted of Murdering, Dismembering Wife on Anniversary RV Trip
Joseph Ferlazzo testified he had a “memory of cutting into her leg with a knife and being sick over it” after shooting his wife twice in the head … but no recollection of cutting off her feet, arms, legs and head.
A New Hampshire man is facing serious prison time after his conviction for murdering his wife on an anniversary trip to Vermont.
Joseph Ferlazzo was found guilty last Friday of first-degree murder of his wife Emily, who was shot and dismembered back in October 2021.
He claimed he shot her in self-defense while the two were celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary with a trip to visit his family in their van — this after he returned from the trip solo and told her family she left after a fight. Her remains were later discovered in the van.
Facebook/CourtTV
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The jury, however, didn’t buy his version of events and came back with a guilty verdict.
According to NBC 5, Emily’s mother Adrienne Bass said “the verdict couldn’t be any better,” after the decision came in. “The only thing that could make it better would be to have my daughter back in my arms and alive,” she continued, adding, “For me it was really just relief and feeling like we got the justice that Emily deserves.
Ferlazzo faces 35 years behind bars; his sentencing is set for February.
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Ferlazzo’s Version of Events
Taking the stand in his defense last week, Ferlazzo first claimed Emily had been violent with him numerous times before the trip, including one alleged incident after she saw messages between him and another woman on his phone. He said the pair were in a polyamorous relationship.
“I left my device open for her to see who I was talking to … it led to violence,” he claimed. “Physical abuse started coming into our relationship, where she would go through my phone and then respond by beating on me. She would say, ‘You’re a f–king a–hole. I can’t believe you’re f–king talking to this bitch.’”
The other woman, he said, was a friend of his with whom he was romantic at one point; he, however, claimed the two had stopped being physical, while keeping their friendship.
“It was a barrage. The punches and kicks kept coming and coming. She hit hard, she wasn’t a gentle person. I wouldn’t describe her as gentle,” he testified.
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On the night of Emily’s death, Ferlazzo said the two were arguing quite a bit, with the suspect claiming Emily was “having a fit” and “cussin’ and saying how s–tty I was for not giving her money to go have an Uber and leave the vacation.”
As the night went on, he said she “started cursing” at him for having candles lit in the van, claiming she was yelling at him to “turn the f–king candles off.” He claimed things escalated and she “got up, ran at me and grabbed one of the candles” and started beating him with it.
“Then there was a flurry of punches and kicks that she started punching and kicking me. I had to restrain her, I had to grab her by her arms and hold her arms down,” he continued, claiming she also kicked their dog, which caused him to exclaim, “We’re not your punching bags.”
He stepped outside with the dog, he said, then returned to the van, had more to drink and smoke and got into bed.
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“I was climbing over her and she shouted, ‘F–k off,’ and she threw an elbow at me and elbowed me in my groin,” he said, claiming he then told her to stop hitting him. “And that’s when it happened,” he said.
“She said, ‘That’s it, you’re dead,’ and she threw her arm under her pillow and she pulls her hand out with the Taurus [gun]. I was feeling horrified. I was terrified,” he testified. “As soon as I saw that, I felt a wave of heat, red hot, and she started pushing her body up … and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, no, no’ … she wasn’t stopping. I was holding my Glock and she started coming up at me and I just fired. She was gonna shoot me.”
“It was two shots and her body dropping,” he recalled. Ferlazzo then put her body into the bathroom and, the next day, went to breakfast with family, took a shower and cleaned up. He told others that Emily left to go with friends … and, at one point, even gave his sister a brand new tattoo.
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That same day, according to statements he previously made to police during his confession, he used a hand saw to dismember Emily’s body — and allegedly cut off her feet, legs, arms and head, so he could bury her remains in the woods. Bags containing her remains were discovered in the van by police. Ferlazzo also told police that he stabbed her dead body numerous times; Emily had stab wounds on her torso and back.
On the stand, however, he said he didn’t recall talking to police and had “no memory” of dismembering Emily. He claimed he was “revolted” watching back video of his confession.
Ferlazzo also testified he had a “memory of cutting into her leg with a knife and being sick over it,” before prosecutors pointed out that he told police he used a saw. Again, he said he had no memory.
The suspect was the only witness called by the defense, while prosecutors argued the murder was premeditated.
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New Hampshire
Reinstalled Satanic Temple ‘Holiday Display’ Damaged Again At Concord’s City Plaza
CONCORD, NH — The newly reinstalled so-called “holiday display,” “occult deity,” “demonic presence,” or “demon goat god Baphomet” at Concord’s City Plaza by the Satanic Temple on Monday has been damaged again.
Only this time, a suspect was quickly caught.
For the last 10 days, Brian Blackden, the organizer of the Christmas Tree Lighting event downtown, has been spending his evenings guarding the Nativity scene at Concord’s City Plaza, after several threats of vandalism online. He hangs out in his truck on North Main Street, has video cameras recording, and sometimes walks the grounds.
During this time, he has had several encounters with men, mainly during the early morning hours, scoping the plaza. Some of the vehicles have out-of-state plates. But they see Blackden, and then, they leave the area.
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Blackden, on Tuesday night, however, was in the right place at the right time.
Around 8 p.m., a man, who appeared to be disheveled or homeless, walked over to the Satanic Temple display, stood there for a short period, and then began to destroy the display. Blackden called the police, and the suspect was stopped about a block away. The suspect was questioned and then arrested.
On Monday, Blackden said after seeing the threats online, he decided to commit to protecting the Nativity scene.
The potential vandals, he said, “are ratcheting up the presence … I think they are just trying to gaslight me as they have not tried anything.” Blackden added, “But I am allowing them no time to do anything also.”
Last week, someone left a sign on the creche stating, “Do Not Go After Evil, That Path Leads To Destruction.”
Vandalism against spiritual displays during the holidays tends to be rare in Concord.
In December 2007, the Baby Jesus was stolen from a Nativity display outside St. Peter’s Church. Other figures in the display were not taken or damaged.
At some point, the Knights of Columbus installed mesh covering the current Nativity scene to keep the figurines, which are quite expensive, from being stolen or damaged.
Concord NH Patch will update this post when more information becomes available.
Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella’s YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.
New Hampshire
NJ man falls 60 feet while ice climbing in New Hampshire
HART’S LOCATION, N.H. – A New Jersey man climbing ice in central New Hampshire over the weekend had to be rescued after he fell 60 feet, according to authorities.
Officials at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division said that 55-year-old Slavik Zaglewski was climbing in Shoestring Gully near Hart’s Location on Saturday night with his friend when Slavik fell on a steep section towards the top of the hike.
According to authorities, Slavik’s friend was able to treat his injuries and dress him in warm clothes. The friend was then forced to continue the climb alone to the top of the ridge where he placed a 911 call. A total of 28 volunteers from several search and rescue groups responded.
A small Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) team made their way down the frozen gully to reach the injured climber, according to authorities. Rescue teams stabilized Slavik and treated him for hypothermia. Slavik had to be hoisted 400 feet to level ground and carried nearly 2 miles down a trail that required pulleys to navigate the steep terrain.
Officials said that the team was able to reach an ambulance by 5 a.m. Sunday. Slavik was taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to the National Weather Service, hypothermia can occur in temperatures as warm as 60 degrees, especially in water or if you’re improperly dressed for conditions.
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