Nearly a year after a woman was found shot dead in a Cadillac

Nearly a year after a woman was found shot dead in a Cadillac behind the Cornerstone School, the state is resisting an effort to transfer the alleged teenage shooter into juvenile court. Mohamed Said was 15 when he allegedly shot Christina Chatlos, 38, through the window of a Cadillac she was driving on Jan. 23, 2024. The encounter that led to Chatlos’ death was reportedly related to a deal for crack cocaine. Chatlos’ lifeless body was found slumped over in the vehicle that had stopped on an embankment behind the school. The Caledonia County State’s Attorney’s Office, on the strength of a Vermont State Police investigation, charged Said with second-degree murder. He was arraigned on March 4, 2024, in Caledonia Superior Court. He appeared by video for the hearing from a Massachusetts Department of Youth Services facility and entered a not-guilty plea through attorney Kelly Green. Recent motions filed in Said’s case deal with a report from Dr. Antoinette Kavanaugh that addresses the issue of transferring Said out of open adult court and into the confidential juvenile judicial process. State’s Attorney Jessica Zaleski responded in writing on Monday, stating she had no objection to the doctor’s report being sealed from public review. She did, however, note her opposition to Said’s case being transferred into juvenile court