A Salem man indicted in connection with the deaths of two people found near a Walmart pleaded not guilty in Essex County Superior Court on Thursday, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker’s office said.
Jay Blodget, 30, was charged with two counts of murder. Judge Kathleen McCarthy-Neyman ordered Blodget to be held without bail. He is scheduled to appear again in court on July 24.
On April 23, a man walking his dog found the bodies of Andrew Ross Guempel, 41, of Arizona, and Jonathan Thompson, 42, of Oregon, Tucker’s office said in a statement. The man and his dog were walking in the woods next to a Walmart at 450 Highland Ave.
Salem police were called to the scene and found that both men had signs of blunt force trauma and stab wounds
Following his initial arrest, Blodget was arraigned in Salem District Court on April 24. He was indicted less than a month later.
