A Vermont jury convicted Elliot Russell, 49, of first-degree premeditated murder on May 13, 2026, in Bennington Superior Court, Criminal Division, following a trial centered on the October 2022 shooting death of Ulysses Ivey [1][2]. The case proceeded to trial on a single count of first-degree murder, with prosecutors from the Bennington County State's Attorney's Office, led by Jared Bianchi, arguing that Russell planned and carried out the killing with deliberate premeditation [1].
At trial, prosecutors contended that Russell lured Ivey to a Green Mountain Power electrical substation in Bennington, where he shot and killed him [1][2]. The alleged motive was jealousy over a woman [1]. The prosecution's case was anchored in part by a 911 call Ivey placed after being shot, in which he identified Russell by name before dying at the scene [1][2]. The jury returned a guilty verdict on the sole count charged.
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled [1]. Under Vermont law, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison without the possibility of parole, placing no discretion on the court as to the minimum term. No information from the available sources indicates that Russell's defense counsel has announced post-trial motions or a notice of appeal at this time.
The conviction is notable in the context of Bennington County's trial history. Reported accounts describe it as among the rare premeditated first-degree murder convictions in the county [1], a characterization driven in part by the evidentiary weight of Ivey's dying identification of his alleged killer during the emergency call [1][2].