30-year-old suspect charged in connection with Salem double murder

Authorities arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of two men found dead in Salem Wednesday.

Jay Blodget, 30, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. He pleaded not guilty in Salem District Court Thursday.

At around 2:23 p.m. Wednesday, a man walking his dog came across a body in a wooded area near the Walmart on Highland Avenue, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office and Salem police.

Police said they found two men dead when they arrived on scene. Their names have not been released.

Prosecutors said it appears the two were stabbed to death, and there was blunt force trauma to their bodies as well. Autopsies will be performed to determine exact cause of death.

“He was interviewed, he eventually made a statement implicating himself in the two murders,” prosecutors said.

Blodget was arrested last week, accused of using a hacksaw to break into a storage facility on private property not far from the Walmart. In that case, he told police he got kicked out of the woods near Walmart and had no place to go.

“He said he was from Pennsylvania, he was homeless. He offered me $2,000 for the mess he made and for the problem he put us through,” said Tonie Singh, the owner of that property.

Blodget pleaded not guilty in that case and was released by the judge on personal recognizance. Seven days later, he was back in court facing two murder charges.

Police indicate the killings were not random.

Blodget was ordered held without bail and is due back in court next month.

Michael Phelan, Blodget’s attorney, spoke outside the courthouse Thursday.

“I didn’t even even ask him about what his allegations were or what the allegations were against him. I said, ‘Just be patient,'” Phelan said of his client.

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