Mohamed Said, 15, denies shooting and killing Christina Chatlos

Mohamed Said, 15, denies shooting and killing Christina Chatlos, 38, on Portland Street in St. Johnsbury. Said is being detained in a juvenile facility in Massachusetts. The alleged shooting occurred on Jan. 23 in the parking lot of the Cornerstone School. Said, from Springfield, Mass., pleaded not guilty on a felony charge of 2nd-degree murder in Caledonia Superior Court on Monday. Judge Michael Kainen set conditions of release because Said is already in detention. He is facing a possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison on the charge. There was also a second suspect, but the court has not yet found probable cause. Chatlos was found deceased at the scene. The medical examiner determined the cause of Chatlos’s death was a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide. The investigation began at about 5:55 p.m. when St. Johnsbury Police received a report from a passerby who saw a vehicle with apparent bullet holes in a parking lot of the Cornerstone School with an individual inside the vehicle who was slumped over. According to the police report, E-911 received a call from a witness who said she had seen what happened.