SALEM, MA — Authorities have identified one of the two men found murdered in a wooded area near a Walmart in Salem earlier this week. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office announced Saturday that the victim is 41-year-old Andrew Ross Guempel, whose last known address was in Arizona.
Officials are withholding the identity of the second victim pending notification of the man’s next of kin.
Salem police discovered the bodies around 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, after a man walking his dog at 450 Highland Ave. came across one of the bodies and alerted authorities.
Within 24 hours of the discovery, police arrested 30-year-old Jay Blodget in connection with the killings. Blodget was arraigned Thursday in Salem District Court on two counts of murder, where he pleaded not guilty. A judge ordered him held without bail.
According to court filings, Blodget is homeless and had been living in the wooded area behind the Walmart, close to where the victims were found. Prosecutors stated in court that both men died from blunt force trauma and stab wounds. Their bodies had been concealed under dirt and other debris.
Blodget reportedly made statements implicating himself in the murders while in police custody. Authorities believe he acted alone.
Blodget’s attorney, Michael Phelan, told reporters outside the courthouse that it is “way too early” to discuss motives. He added that his defense team will be exploring possible mental health issues, though no conclusions have yet been reached.
Court records also show that about a week before the murders, Blodget had been arrested for breaking and entering after allegedly using a hacksaw to break into a storage container near the Walmart.
Blodget is scheduled to return to court on May 28.