Journal-News.com

LEBANON — Michel Veillette pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Feb. 20 to more than a dozen counts of aggravated murder and aggravated arson.

Veillette, 34, of Mason appeared before Warren County Common Pleas Magistrate Andrew Hasselbach with his hands and feet shackled, wearing orange and white jail-issued, clothing and flanked by his attorneys.

He will continue to be held without bond in the Warren County Jail.

Veillette stands charged with 15 counts in the killing of his wife and four children.

A grand jury indicted Veillette Friday, Feb. 15, and included specifications for the death penalty. Veillette allegedly stabbed his wife to death on Jan. 11 after an altercation about his mistress and the family's financial problems.

Police said Veillette went to the garage, got a gas can and lighter, then spread the second floor with the accelerant and lit the blaze. He then jumped out of a rear window at the Brackenview Court house, officials said.

His children — Marguerite, 8; Vincent, 4; and 2-year-old twins Mia and Jacob — died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to coroners' reports.

A death penalty indictment is based on the fact the children were under the age of 13, that Veillette attempted to cover up the death of his wife and that the killings occurred during the course of another felony — an arson.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.