Robert Tulloch, now 43, has lost his bid to alter the life sentence he received for the 2001 murders of Dartmouth College professors Half and Susanne Zantop, whom he killed at random when he was 17 years old. A judge on Monday resentenced Tulloch to a minimum of 45 years to life, making him eligible for parole in 2046, at age 62.
Tulloch and his accomplice, James Parker, then teenagers, reportedly murdered the couple because they were bored and planned to steal money and move to Australia. They had been knocking on doors in New Hampshire and Vermont under the guise of an environmental survey before being admitted to the Zantops' home. The couple, who were married, were professors at Dartmouth; Half Zantop, 62, taught Earth sciences, and Susanne Zantop, 55, was the head of the German studies department.
Initially, Tulloch pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received an automatic sentence of life without parole. However, he was permitted to seek a resentencing following a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that deemed mandatory life sentences without parole unconstitutional for juveniles.
During the resentencing hearing, the couple's daughter, Veronika Zantop, a psychiatrist, spoke about the profound impact of her parents' deaths. She described the killings as an act of "sheer depravity" rather than a crime of passion or influenced by substances or psychosis, and urged the court to impose the longest possible sentence. Veronika, whose youngest son is now the same age Tulloch was when he committed the murders, acknowledged the potential for brain development changes in young offenders but argued that Tulloch's meticulous and predatory planning indicated no such change. Tulloch subsequently apologized to Veronika, expressing disgust at his past actions.
According to accomplice James Parker, Tulloch stabbed Half Zantop and then directed Parker to attack Susanne Zantop, whom Tulloch also stabbed. The teens fled Vermont after being questioned by police and were apprehended weeks later at an Indiana truck stop. Parker, who was 16 at the time, cooperated with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to being an accomplice to second-degree murder. He was released on parole in 2024, having served nearly the minimum term of his 25-years-to-life sentence.
Prosecutors stated that evidence, including fingerprints on a knife sheath and a bloody boot print, linked the teenagers to the crime. Tulloch's defense team presented prison records indicating his maturation, with no major infractions since 2012 and no minor infractions since 2017. They also cited his therapy records, which they claim show "significant remorse" for his "warped youthful thinking" and a "good capacity for empathy."
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella acknowledged the horrific nature of the crime and the pain it caused the Zantop family, friends, students, and the wider community. He stated that while the resentencing was legally mandated, the state worked to ensure the imposed sentence reflected the crime's seriousness, promoted accountability, protected the public, and offered meaningful protections to the Zantop family.