Arrest Made In Death Of Man In Clinton Apartment

CLINTON (CBS) – A Berlin man has been charged in connection with the death of a man in Clinton.

Police went to an apartment on Water Street Thursday night for a well-being check and found 58-year-old Roger Bemis dead.

The victim had injuries "that indicated foul play" according to the Worcester County District Attorney. The victim is believed to have been dead for several days.

State Police identified a suspect as 48-year-old Dean Valchuis from Berlin, Mass. When troopers responded to his house, they found him injured in the backyard.

"They heard moaning coming from the backyard of the house, it appeared that the suspect had fallen from a tree stand and had become seriously injured and was transported to a local hospital," Early said.

It is unclear why Valchuis was in the tree stand. He remains hospitalized and still needs to be interviewed by police.

Police say they are figuring out the relationship between the two men and what led up to Bemis' injuries. Valchuis is charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury. The district attorney expects those charges to change once an autopsy is completed.

Police do not believe the incident was random.