More charges for Frank Caraballo of Holyoke, accused of VT drug deal killing

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (WWLP-AP) - A western Massachusetts man charged with killing a woman during a drug deal in Vermont has been accused of more crimes.

Frank Caraballo of Holyoke pleaded not guilty to killing Melissa Barratt during a drug deal in Dummerston last year. He's been sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison on separate drug charges.

The Brattleboro Reformer reports a federal grand jury recently returned two more counts against the 28-year-old Caraballo: being a felon in possession of firearms, and using one of those weapons in furtherance of a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.

Barratt's body was discovered in a wooded area in July 2011. Court documents say Caraballo accused Barratt of stealing a large amount of drugs from him.

Dummerston is a small town in southeastern Vermont, just north of Brattleboro.