SLAY SUSPECT IN KIDNAP RAP
Middleton man allegedly held at knifepoint
A man held without bail in connection with the gruesome murder of two people in Peabody was back in court yesterday to face additional charges stemming from his run-in with a Middleton grandfather who prosecutors say he held at knifepoint for hours.
Wes Doughty, 39, is facing a raft of charges including carjacking, kidnapping, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over the age of 60 after police say he held a knife to the throat of 64-year-old Kenneth Metz at the beginning of what would be a weeklong run from police that ended with his capture last Friday in Spartanburg, S.C.
Assistant District Attorney Kelleen Forlizzi and defense attorney John Apruzzese — who is representing Doughty in both cases — agreed to a $250,000 bail and a not guilty plea was entered.
Investigators say Doughty forced his way into Metz’s car about 7 p.m. Feb. 22, and left minor cuts and scrapes to the elderly man’s neck as he got into the vehicle. Prosecutors said he forced Metz into the passenger’s seat and drove for three hours, stopping only to withdraw money with Metz’s ATM card and buy booze and cigarettes.
He allegedly tied Metz to the seat every time the car was stopped.
Doughty and Michael Hebb, 45, are both charged with the murders of Mark Greenlaw, 37, who was shot in the head, and Jennifer O’Connor, 40, who was stabbed to death, according to police.
Metz, who did not attend yesterday’s arraignment, told reporters last week Doughty admitted to the murders at the beginning of their three-hour ride, saying Doughty told him “he killed them because they gave heroin to his godfather. He didn’t want his godfather to be addicted to heroin.”
Metz was finally able to free himself in the South End when Doughty stopped at a liquor store and ran several blocks to a pizza shop where he was able to call for help, police said.
Doughty drove Metz’s gray 2006 Honda all the way to South Carolina before he was arrested. He is due back in court on the murder charges April 6 and the carjacking case on April 12, but if a grand jury returns indictments, the two cases will be joined together.