Ellington murder charge refiled

Prosecutors have once again filed murder charges against Jonathan Wade Ellington, the man accused of running over and killing an Athol woman on New Year’s Day.

Earlier this week, Magistrate Judge Eugene Marano ruled that the state hadn’t established enough evidence of malice to warrant a second-degree murder charge and ordered the charge be reduced to involuntary manslaughter.

By the end of the following day, the state moved to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge. The motion was approved Thursday by 1st District Judge John Mitchell. Second-degree murder charges were re-filed against Ellington on Friday.Ellington, 45, remained in jail Friday. Bail has been set at $10 million.

Authorities say 41-year-old Vonette Larsen was run over and killed by Ellington in an apparent fit of road rage on Jan. 1. The hairdresser’s death was the culmination of a confrontation that began earlier that morning between Ellington and two of Larsen’s daughters.

Jovon Larsen, 21, testified earlier this week that she and her sister were driving to their parents’ home near Athol when Ellington began tailing her car. She said Ellington, who was driving a Chevy Blazer, passed her car and cut in front of her, forcing her to hit her brakes.

When both parties came to a stop sign, Jovon Larsen said, Ellington got out of his car, yelled at her and punched her window.

She said she told her sister, 18-year-old Jolene Larsen, to call 911. Jovon Larsen testified that she followed Ellington because his car didn’t have plates, and she wanted to report him to police.

There were additional confrontations between the Larsen sisters and Ellington as they continued to pursue him.

The sisters pulled over at one point and waited for a sheriff’s deputy to arrive. According to testimony by both sisters, the deputy left to look for Ellington. In the meantime, the parents of the young women arrived and they, too, went to look for Ellington.

Joel and Vonette Larsen spotted Ellington, and began following him at one point. They lost him, and when they saw him next, he was being followed by their daughters.

The chase ended on Scarcello Road, where Ellington allegedly drove his tire on top of the hood of Jovon Larsen’s car.

That’s when the parents got out of their vehicle. Joel Larsen testified that he watched Ellington drive toward his wife, who stood in the roadway, and run her over. She died at the scene.

Now that charges have been filed anew, another preliminary hearing will be scheduled within the next two weeks.