ANTRIM, NH – An Antrim teen is facing a charge of first-degree murder for allegedly killing his father in 2019 with a hammer and a knife.
His indictment was announced on Sept. 24, 2020, by the state Attorney General’s office.
Joseph Beam, 18, was arrested on Nov. 1 2019, the day the body of his father, Jason Beam, 41, was found bloodied inside the family home on Gregg Lake Road by firefighters called to the scene.
Deputy Attorney General Jane Young said Thursday that it is a coincidence that Joseph Beam’s indictment was made public on what is his 18th birthday. Court records show Joseph Beam’s indictment was first filed in court on Wednesday. Under New Hampshire law, Young said she is restricted from what she can say about the motive in the case due to the juvenile justice system.
No motive for the crime was given in the statement
Joseph Beam is being held in Valley Street Jail in Manchester, though Young was unable to say where he was initially held after his arrest.
Police and firefighters were called to the home for a report of a man with serious injuries. According to Antrim Fire Chief Marshall Gale, firefighters found Jason Beam inside the burning home, laid out on a sofa, bloodied and showing “obvious trauma,” Gale told the press at the time.
Gale said the fire was contained to one room in the house, and that a woman and young child were outside the home when firefighters arrived.
A later autopsy determined that Beam died from “multiple sharp and blunt penetrating injuries of the head, neck, and chest” using a hammer and knife. The death was then determined to be a homicide.
Grand jury sessions have been on hold since March, and only recently started again to deal with the backlog of criminal cases. Joseph Beam’s case has not yet been scheduled for an arraignment.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
