Posted on 08/18/2011 10:20

Less than 24 hours after receiving the report of a body tossed down a roadside embankment in rural Chester County, four state troopers were in cars headed to Indianapolis, where they had tracked the suspected killers.
A pivotal break in the case occurred about 5 a.m. that day, when officers interviewed a Maryland man who put them on the path of the two people later charged.
Working like a "pit bull" on his computer, a trooper found information that the pair might be at an apartment in Indianapolis. And at 9 a.m., that is where U.S. marshals found the suspects - as well as the truck they allegedly stole from Andre J. Dupuis of Aston and a semiautomatic pistol believed to be the murder weapon.
The discovery of the 32-year-old landscaping manager's body in West Nottingham Township was reported in the early afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 7, and during the ensuing four days, troopers from the Avondale barracks worked round the clock.
Trooper James Ciliberto said one of his partners, Todd Hershey, had about 12 hours of sleep during that time. "How he stayed awake is beyond me," he said.
On Wednesday, Aug. 10., Chandler G. Clark, 20, and Melanie Ann Ray, 25, both of Franklin, near Erie, were charged with criminal homicide, robbery, and related offenses in connection with the slaying.
From the start, investigators realized Dupuis' 2006 GMC Sierra truck had vanished and issued an alert on it, knowing that finding the vehicle would be a key to cracking the case.
Through interviews, they began to retrace Dupuis' activities in the days before the homicide. Friends, relatives, and coworkers all cited the victim's generosity. Later, the police would conclude that the suspects preyed on Dupuis' goodwill.
Investigators learned that Clark and Ray had met Dupuis in Maryland through mutual acquaintances about three weeks before the murder.
In the predawn of Aug. 8, Troopers Hershey and Henry Callithen interviewed Richard L. Price Jr., who told them that he had encountered the couple and that he had kicked them out of his residence in Rising Sun, Md., the evening of Saturday, Aug. 6 after a disagreement.
Clark and Ray allegedly told Price they planned to steal a vehicle and flee the area; they also said they were meeting someone who would give them a ride at the nearby Martin's Market about 11 p.m.
Police said Clark and Ray targeted Dupuis because he was not married and had a vehicle they could steal. If he wasn't reported missing immediately, the couple would have more time to make a getaway to Arizona to avoid unrelated warrants, police said.
With their names on his radar, Trooper James Grudzinski worked "like a pit bull" to track the pair, said Sgt. William Donahue. Declining to describe the computer methods used, Donahue said, "We don't want every knucklehead to know what we do."
After Grudzinski zeroed in on an Indianapolis apartment complex, U.S. marshals and Indianapolis police found the truck in the parking lot at 9 a.m. Aug. 8 and took the couple into custody about 45 minutes later in one of the units; a bag in the apartment contained the suspected murder weapon, police said.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Lt. Kevin Kelly, a 30-year homicide veteran, said expected the case to stick in his memory.
"They befriend the victim, come up with a plan, and lure him to a remote area where the girl pretends to be sick and needs the victim's assistance," he said.
Kelly called the stark contrast between the thinking of Dupuis and Clark as they exited the vehicle chilling: Dupuis, a Good Samaritan who had given the couple a ride, got out of his truck to help Ray, while Clark allegedly positioned himself to pull the trigger.
Kelly called the four troopers who made the 600-mile trek to Indianapolis - Cpls. Patrick Quigley and David Kennedy and Troopers Ciliberto and Hershey - "very good at what they do."
Echoing his colleagues, Ciliberto stressed that it was a team effort that received invaluable assistance from multiple sources.
Emery Dupuis, the victim's uncle, said the family realized how committed the police were when they met Cpl. Mark Magyar about 9 a.m. on Aug. 8 and it was clear that neither he nor about 20 troopers at the Avondale barracks had slept.
"People in Lancaster and Chester Counties should know how lucky they are to have people like this working for them," he said, adding that the Quarryville community also rallied around Ozzie and Joan Dupuis, the victim's parents.
"I don't think they will have to cook a meal for six months," he said.
Emery Dupuis said his nephew's positive impact was evident at the funeral Friday, which more than 2,000 people attended, including friends from Solanco High School in Lancaster County, the Williamson Trade School in Middletown, and his nephew's employer, the Media branch of the Brickman Group.
Ray and Chandler, who waived extradition Monday, are awaiting transport back to Pennsylvania.