Small Town Murder Podcast

Episode: The Murder Blame Game - Grafton, Vermont

Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman

Release Date: October 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, James and Jimmie dive into an especially bizarre and brutal double murder in the small, woodsy town of Grafton, Vermont. Both hosts highlight not only the horrific nature of the crime, but how the sheer stupidity of the suspects stands out even among the many cases they've covered. With their trademark blend of in-depth research, gallows humor, and relatable conversation, they break down the events from the backgrounds of the victims and perpetrators to the wild, bumbling investigation and equally absurd courtroom drama.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Grafton, Vermont Background

(05:14–10:17)

• James and Jimmie set the scene in Grafton, Vermont, a picturesque, tiny tourist town (pop. 587) with a median income near the US average but high housing costs.
• Grafton's history: From sheep and wool mills in the 1800s, devastating population loss during the Civil War, and rebirth via tourism and artisanal cheese ("Grafton Cheese Company").
• The town’s quirky features:
  • The Grafton Inn (est. 1801, one of the oldest in the U.S.).
  • A "fairy house festival," mostly attended by adults ("just a lot of 40 year old women wearing wings" – James, 09:42).
• Jimmie jokes about the stereotype of winter sports towns, "It's all like a little weird like douche consortium that they get together." (08:47)

2. Victims, Perpetrators, and Social Setting

(10:17–16:55)

• Gregg Enos, 33, local working-class guy, prior small-time criminal record (DUIs, possession, "rural goofball shit").
• Colleen Davis, 33, single mom of three (one son in a wheelchair), living in extreme poverty in a dilapidated trailer park described as "five dilapidated trailers set in a meadow." (14:48)
• The trailer park was recently the site of a heroin bust — underscoring the tough circumstances Davis faced.
• Enos and Davis were friends who often drove around together (the hosts speculate about the ambiguous relationship).

3. The Day of the Murders: The 'Party' in the Woods

(16:55–23:56)

• On June 24, 2002, Gregg and Colleen pick up two hitchhikers:
  • Charles “Poncho” Sherman: 43, white, extensive criminal record, living with parents, runs a makeshift mechanic shop.
  • Michael Perez: 20, black, from Brooklyn, no prior record, had been homeless and recently beaten in Vermont by "Pac Man" Williams.
• The four go to Bellows Falls to buy beer and weed, then head into the Molly Beatty State Forest—"country afternoon" (James, 16:42).
• They plan to help get the hitchhikers' truck unstuck from mud, celebrate with drinks and weed in an abandoned stone conservation camp (party spot for local teens).

4. Crime Scene Discovery: Odd and Disturbing Details

(23:56–26:14)

• Next day, a local scavenging for cans stumbles onto the grisly scene:
  • Colleen, "bent at the waist through the small window" between the cab and truck bed, upper torso and head resting on a tire in the truck bed—violently bloody. (23:34–23:56)
  • Gregg, upside down under the steering wheel—“most unnatural positions” (James, 24:17).
• Evidence of a struggle, signs of attempted arson:
  • A tree limb with burnt red cloth (later determined to have Enos's blood) and another burnt cloth in gas tank—“someone tried to set the truck on fire. It didn’t work.” (25:39)
  • Both had fought back; autopsy reveals Gregg stabbed 21 times and severe blunt force trauma; Colleen beaten to death, likely by rocks and sticks. (29:27)

5. The Investigation: Idiocy and Breakthroughs

(26:14–34:24)

• Police rapidly get tips: Two mismatched hitchhikers seen the previous day—“40-year-old white guy and 20-year-old black guy… only know of one of those pairings in town." (27:12)
• A logger had pulled out Sherman and Perez's stuck SUV for payment of a shotgun—later used as evidence. (30:26)
• In an astonishingly dumb twist, Sherman and Perez show up with Sherman’s family at the active crime scene, both visibly injured (Sherman with scratches, limping, “shaking violently,” complaining about his back). (34:24)
  • "Have we ever had two bigger dipshits?" (James, 37:29)
  • Notable Quote: “What kind of a dipshit kills people, then shows up at the crime scene while it's full of cops?...You have to be the biggest fucking moron I know.” — James, 37:29
• Both are quickly detained as suspects.
• Forensics finds the burnt red cloth is from a Fat Albert t-shirt ("Hey hey hey!" — Jimmie, 36:56), which Perez was seen wearing.

6. Confessions and the Blame Game: Stories Fall Apart

(38:39–55:56)

• Perez and Sherman both attempt to blame the other, offering ever-changing and conflicting accounts.
  • Perez, after requesting a staged re-arrest so Sherman won’t know he’s cooperating, cycles through multiple versions:
    • First, denies all knowledge, then blames Sherman for both murders, then says he was forced into participating but only pretended to hit Colleen. (40:59–48:51)
    • He leads police to dumped evidence: Clothes (weighted with rocks) in a river, the murder weapon stashed elsewhere.
• Both say the fight started when Greg Enos caught Perez and Colleen having sex on a picnic table. Perez insists it was consensual, Sherman claims it wasn’t, both say violence spiraled from there—with racial slurs escalating the situation.
• Notable Quote: “In both, everybody's version, even Perez's version, Perez was having some kind of sexual whatever first with her.” — James, 53:56

Memorable/farcical details:

• Both claim (in coordinated fashion) they only pretended to hit Colleen when ordered—"like a wrestling move." (48:55, 54:47)
• Both describe the other as the true monster—Sherman: “Mike Perez is a sex freak. That’s what did it.” (55:31)
• The old classic: “Trust me. I would have left. I didn't do it." (49:31)

7. Courtroom Carnival: Trials, Pleas, and Sentencing

(55:56–76:00)

• Both are charged with aiding in aggravated murder—Vermont law makes both responsible regardless of who delivered the fatal blow.
  • “Doesn't matter who inflicted the fatal blows.” — James, 56:23
• At arraignment, family members from both sides get into a shouting match in the courthouse. (56:33–57:41)
• Legal complications: Local prosecutor and judge both consider recusing themselves due to personal connections—a classic small-town “everybody knows everybody.” (61:11–64:13)
• Perez goes to trial, is found guilty after 18 hours’ deliberation based on multiple confessions and witness testimony ("he beat the dude and stabbed the bitch 57 times"—Perez boasting, 66:02), and gets life without parole.

Sherman's Plea:

• His wife tries to claim marital privilege; ultimately, he pleads guilty to two counts of aiding second-degree murder in a deal to escape a harsher sentence. (68:06–68:50)

• He addresses the courtroom, weeping and apologetic, saying “I'm a victim too”—which earns him derision from the victims’ families and the hosts alike. (72:37)

  • Notable Quote: “He said, I'm a victim too.” — James, 72:37

• Judge, unmoved by their stories:

  • "I have no doubts you minimized your role." (73:58)
  • Sherman gets 20 years to life (eligible for parole in 2024).

8. Aftermath and Appeals

(74:08–76:00)

• Both men appeal—citing provocation, bias, and shoddy legal counsel—but lose those appeals.
• Sherman denied parole in 2024: “The parole people called him a, quote, violent, dangerous and high risk individual and said, get the fuck back in your cell, asshole. Good. And sent him back.” — James, 75:04

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We've had a lot of dumb murderers. This might be the dumbest way to get caught for a murder that anybody's ever done in 642 episodes.” — James, 01:59
• “This trailer ‘park’… was the scene of a drug bust, a big heroin drug bust… out of five trailers, one of them’s the fucking smack house.” — James, 15:07
• “A 43 year old and a 20 year old have nothing to talk about. How many 20 year olds friends do you have? Zero.” — James, 18:13
• “They showed up to discover the bodies, and instead… there’s 100 cops there. Whoops.” — James, 47:44
• “They like to return to crime scenes. Not while it’s being processed, you fucking idiots. What are you doing?” — James, 37:29
• “He’s poor and unreliable. He's getting held onto.” — James, 60:09
• “The dumbest stories ever. I'm gonna make shit up that almost makes it sound worse.” — James, 53:20

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Town background & cheese festival: 05:14–10:17
• Victims & murderers profiles: 10:17–16:55
• Events leading up to murders: 16:55–23:56
• Crime scene discovery: 23:56–26:14
• Investigation & suspects’ stupidity: 26:14–34:24
• Blame game/confessions: 38:39–55:56
• Trials, pleas & sentencing: 55:56–76:00
• Aftermath & appeals: 74:08–76:00

Episode Takeaways

• Grafton, Vermont is a town with historic charm and contemporary struggles, but its tranquility was shattered by senseless, impulsive violence.
• The murder case combines depressing poverty, substance abuse, interpersonal chaos, and baffling stupidity—emphasized comedically but respectfully by both hosts.
• The investigation was fast—thanks in large part to local gossip and the utter cluelessness of the perpetrators—resulting in both men spending their lives behind bars.
• The hosts highlight the tragedy's ripple effects for the families, the limits of criminal legal strategies, and the dark humor inherent in true crime's stranger-than-fiction details.

For the full experience, including James and Jimmie's banter (“four heads are better than two,” “bathed in the Bud,” etc.), and their biting but empathetic analysis, listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.