After more than six months since Troy Director of Operations Bill Chamberlain was stabbed to death near his home, a man has been indicted for his murder.
On Tuesday, Joseph Vandenburgh -- the man long suspected in the case -- was charged with second degree murder and arraigned in Rensselaer County Court. The 28-year-old has been behind bars for a parole violation. He'd previously been in prison for over seven years for burglary.
Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove wouldn't comment on a motive or whether or not the two men knew eachother. Neighbors did tell Time Warner Cable News that Vandenburgh lived up the street from Chamberlain.
"Right now, Mr. Vandenburgh was just arraigned on the indictment today, so at this stage of the proceedings, I'm not permitted to talk about the nature of the proof or quality of the evidence or motive or anything like that," Abelove said.
On December 17, 2015, Chamberlain was stabbed more than 20 times near his home on Powell Street in Wynantskill while walking his dog. Chamberlain was 56 years old. A long-time city employee, his death sent shock waves through Troy city government.
"I was panic stricken," said Troy Mayor Patrick Madden when he learned of Bill's death last year.
People who knew him say Chamberlain lived a life in the background always getting things done.
"To this day, we're still finding things that he did that weren't a part of his job description. He just did them," said Madden.
Abelove asked the court for a DNA sample from Vandenburgh to compare that with evidence from the case. Vandenburgh is still serving time from his previous parole violation, and if convicted of these new charges, he could face life behind bars.