BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont man who is thought to have been the last person to see a teenager later found shot to death is going to prison on a federal gun charge, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Wednesday.
Richard Whitcomb, 40, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to 37 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty to the charge in September.
Authorities say Whitcomb likely was the last person to see 19-year-old Austin Colson, before Colson disappeared in January of 2018. Colson’s body was later found in Norwich at a property Whitcomb helped maintain.
Whitcomb told investigators Colson was his drug supplier, prosecutor’s said.
Whitcomb’s attorney did not return a call Wednesday seeking comment.
The investigation into the killing of Colson is ongoing.
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