It was just another manic Monday for Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos, who represented Vermont during a full slate of court hearings despite her arrest last week on suspicion of DUI.
Vekos has not made any public statements since state police cited her last Thursday night for allegedly driving drunk to the scene of an active homicide investigation. But her decision to appear in court on Monday — where she dodged Seven Days and other inquiring reporters — suggested the state’s attorney would continue to work as the criminal case against her is pending.
The docket on Monday included an afternoon hearing in the high-profile murder case against a 14-year-old Burlington teen who is accused of shooting and killing another teen last October while a group of friends were playing with a handgun.
During the routine proceeding, Vekos fielded questions from Superior Judge David Fenster about a recently filed motion by the defendant’s public defender to transfer the case to juvenile court. Fenster then scheduled a follow-up hearing in late February.
Vekos also sat at the prosecutor’s table during several hearings involving defendants charged with driving under the influence. She participated in at least one of those DUI hearings, without objection from the defense.
Outside the courtroom, Kelly Gouveia, the mother of October homicide victim Madden Gouveia, spoke with reporters about her late son’s case. She was frustrated that the teen charged in his death had been permitted to live at home under conditions while the case played out. Through tears, Kelly Gouveia said she’d never spoken to Vekos and heard little from her assigned victim’s advocate. Officials hadn’t told Gouveia that Monday’s hearing was taking place, she said.
Vekos exited the courtroom as Gouveia was giving an on-camera interview in the hallway. The state’s attorney walked to her office, but the door was locked. Vekos waited for someone to open it as Seven Days attempted to ask her questions, including whether she intended to continue working and, if so, whether she would recuse herself from DUI cases.
“Do you have any comment on what’s going on?” Seven Days asked.
“Nope,” Vekos said.
Gouveia said she was aware of the charge filed against the prosecutor assigned to her son’s homicide.
“I hope it doesn’t hurt [Madden’s] case,” Gouveia said. “I pray the Lord.”
Editor’s note, June 13, 2024: A previous version of this story identified the 14-year-old murder defendant by name. That was removed when Seven Days updated the story about his prosecution with news that the case had been transferred to family court. The decision is in keeping with an editorial policy put in place in June 2024 that states Seven Days generally does not identify juveniles charged with crimes, with rare exceptions.
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