Melissa Hanson
masslive.com
More than three years ago, a jogger spotted the body of Brandon Chicklis discarded along the side of Route 119 in New Hampshire.
The 20-year-old Westminster man, who had been reported missing weeks prior, had been stabbed at least 10 times, officials said.
Authorities said Chicklis’ former high school classmate, with whom he was romantically involved at one point, is responsible for the man’s killing. Julia Enright is now on trial for murder, with opening statements slated for Monday in Worcester Superior Court.
Enright worked as a phlebotomist and a dominatrix, according to officials who found vials of blood and skeletal remains of animals at her Ashburnham residence. Near her home was a treehouse. Authorities said they found Chicklis’ blood seeped into the floorboards. A new rug had been placed there, documents said.
After being charged with murder, Enright first appeared in court on what would have been Chicklis’ 21st birthday. Chicklis, who was working for an HVAC company at the time of his death, according to an obituary, was always trying to fix things at home.
Here’s what we know about the case as Enright’s trial begins:
Cellphone records placed Chicklis at Enright’s house
Chicklis’ body was found on July 10, 2018, in a state of decomposition in New Hampshire, authorities said. Court documents indicate he was reported missing on either June 23 or 24, 2018.
Chicklis’ body was found on the side of Route 119 in Rindge, New Hampshire. His remains were wrapped in a Land’s End blanket and placed in two trash bags, which were duct-taped to him. Jewelry recovered from the body matched the description of jewelry worn by Chicklis, according to court documents.
Chicklis was stabbed 10 to 12 times, officials said.
Officials found Chicklis’ gray Honda in the parking lot of a Hannaford Supermarket on Route 202 in Rindge on June 29, 2018. The car was unlocked and the keys were inside, court documents said. That location is about six miles from where Chicklis’ body was found.
Chicklis had a new cellphone around the time of his slaying. Authorities obtained call detail records and location data, which indicated Chicklis was at Enright’s residence at 171 Packard Hill Road in Ashburnham from about 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 23, 2018, documents indicate.
The phone was either destroyed or turned off, authorities said at Enright’s arraignment in district court.
A not-guilty plea was entered at Enright’s district court arraignment on July 24, 2018, as well as during her superior court arraignment in 2019. She was ordered held without bail.
Enright and Chicklis were former classmates with a dating history
On July 12, 2018, two days after Chicklis’s body was found, Enright waived her Miranda rights and spoke to investigators. She told them she dated and had a sexual relationship with Chicklis when they were in high school. The two had reconnected, according to court documents.
Chicklis and Enright both graduated from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in 2015, according to a list of graduates.
Blood found in treehouse
Police searched around Enright’s residence and found a treehouse near the property. Blood was found on the stairs leading up to the treehouse, inside the treehouse and underneath the treehouse, prosecutor Terry McLaughlin previously said.
It was Chicklis’ blood, court documents said.
“It was apparent that the treehouse had recently been cleaned and a new rug had been placed on the floor,” documents filed in court read. “When the rug was removed, it appeared that blood had seeped down through the floorboards.”
In addition to finding blood in the treehouse, investigators also reported finding handles attached to the walls near the four corners of the structure, low to the floor, presumably used to attach restraint devices, documents said.
Enright denied being in the treehouse with Chicklis.
Blood was also discovered in Enright’s car, officials said. The Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab determined that the blood belonged to Chicklis.
In making plans to see one another on June 23, 2018, Enright messaged Chicklis that she had a “surprise idea in mind but it could only be done if no one knew we were hanging out,” a court affidavit read.
Enright texted her boyfriend at the time. One message read, “I have to attempt some things and then I should hopefully have the surprise,” according to the affidavit.
According to court documents, Enright told police that she and Chicklis were drinking alcohol on June 23, 2018, and said that Chicklis left to buy narcotics and never returned.
Enright wrote notes about ‘killing and torturing another person’
Authorities found notes written by Enright that indicated she thought of “killing and torturing another person,” court documents said.
A notebook had an entry describing a fantasy about killing a person, reading, “I daydream about it on occasion. I just have this insatiable curiosity to kill a person,” according to the affidavit.
Investigators conducted a search, with consent, at Enright’s home. In a room adjacent to Enright’s bedroom, officials found skeletal remains of animals, according to court documents, which “were positioned in a manner in which gave the appearance that they were being placed back together.”
Investigators also found numerous vials of blood all labeled with individual names, a glass pitcher a quarter full with a red substance that appeared to be blood, a glass beaker with what appeared to be a small heart, likely from an animal. There were also documents, notebooks and business cards that had Enright’s photo on them and indicated that Enright was a dominatrix who participated in BDSM activities and was paid for the services, according to the affidavit.
“Julia was asked about the notes and she acknowledged writing them, however she attributed them to a creative writing class,” a Massachusetts State Police trooper wrote in the affidavit.
Investigators also saw a “large amount” of assorted bones, presumably from animals, inside Enright’s home. Outside, they saw a “large plastic container with several decomposing animals which, according to Julia Enright, were being observed,” the affidavit reads.
A MacBook laptop was recovered from Enright’s car.
Judge Janet Kenton-Walker issued a search warrant authorizing the search of Enright’s laptop. But the contents of the MacBook are encrypted and police were unable to conduct a forensic examination without Enright’s passcode, according to an affidavit previously filed in court.
A grand jury subpoena was obtained for phone calls placed by Enright while incarcerated. On the phone with her boyfriend, Enright said, according to the affidavit, “The only thing I am worried about and getting all anxious about, is, I want to know if they got into my computer. I assume they got into my laptop. Just all my creepy dark stories that they are going to twist.”
Enright appeared on TV show about incarcerated women
Enright appeared on an episode of “Behind Bars: Women Inside,” an A&E show that focuses on life inside the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center.
“Middle class and educated, Phlebotomist Julia is not your usual jail bird,” A&E published as a description of the episode. “Having never been in trouble with the law before, she’s been charged with the murder of her ex-boyfriend. She’ll have to learn to navigate jail and contemplate the possibility of life behind bars.”
Chicklis remembered as ‘a kind young man’
“Brandon was a kind young man that was loved, is missed, and will always remain in our hearts,” reads an obituary.
In high school, he was a member of the drafting class and joined the ROTC for a year. Chicklis also was a member of the Boy Scouts of America for more than 10 years and achieved the rank of Life Scout with Troop 41 in Fitchburg.
“Brandon really enjoyed the outdoors, hiking, and camping which made the Scouts of America a great fit for him. He said his favorite trip was when Troop 41 went and spent over a week at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico,” the obituary reads.
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