Dover, TX: Girlfriend charged in Dover man's killing

Girlfriend charged in Dover man's killing

DOVER — The girlfriend of a city man killed last summer has been arrested and charged in connection with his murder.

Dianna Saunders, 41, formerly of Dover, was arrested Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas, on a warrant charging her with accomplice to first-degree murder. Saunders moved to Texas shortly after her boyfriend, David A. King, was murdered on August 29, 2008, at the 81 Old Dover Point Road home they shared.

Saunders is currently being held without bail in Texas on a fugitive from justice charge. She was arraigned on the charge Wednesday and authorities in Texas are expected to take up his extradition today, according to N.H. Associate Attorney General Ann Rice.

Authorities provided few details Wednesday night about Saunders' involvement in the killing.

"I'm not going to comment about the specific allegations until she is back up here," Rice said.

She also declined to comment on motive.

Dover Police Chief Anthony Colarusso was also unable to comment about the case. He did say that local police filed Saunders' arrest affidavit at Dover District Court last week but it was under seal by request of the state Attorney General's Office.

Dover police were down in Texas to make the arrest and assisted by the Parker County, Texas, Sheriff's Office, he added. He wouldn't comment on whether local police had made past trips to Texas to speak with Saunders

In May, her former stepson, Derek Saunders, 26, and his roommate, Scott Mazzone, 41, both of Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to charges related to King's murder after striking a deal with the Attorney General's Office.

Mazzone pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for shooting King in the head and was sentenced to 33 years to life in prison. Saunders pleaded guilty to accomplice to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

Rice said both men received less severe charges than Dianna Saunders because they cooperated with the investigation.

"Certainly when someone agrees to plead guilty and cooperate we will give a lesser charge for that cooperation," she said.

Dianna Saunders' ex-husband, Roy Saunders, also faced charges in connection with the homicide but killed himself in Massachusetts before he was scheduled to turn himself into police in April.

Rice declined to comment on what charges Roy Saunders was facing and how he was involved in the killing.

Before her arrest, Dianna Saunders was involved in a civil suit where a man from Cape Neddick, Maine, claimed she used $380,000 he had deposited into a real estate company she formerly owned in order to fund her move to Texas.

When she didn't show up in court this month, a judge ruled in that man's favor.