ORANGE — Joshua Hart, 23, and Brittany E. Smith, 27, both of Athol, pleaded innocent Friday morning in Orange District Court to the murder of 95-year-old Thomas A. Harty during a home invasion Oct. 5.
Hart has a criminal history in Pennsylvania where he lived before moving to Athol early this year, and Smith is native of the area.
Hart and Smith are accused of the murder of Harty and of the attempted murder of his wife, 77-year-old Joanna Fisher, during the home invasion at 581 East River St. The crime was discovered Oct. 6. Fisher was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for treatment of throat wounds. Information about her condition has not been released.
Warrants charging murder, attempted murder, home invasion, armed robbery, larceny and conspiracy were issued for Hart and Smith after the initial investigation.
The pair allegedly stole Harty’s car and fled to Virginia, where they were apprehended last weekend while in a U-Haul truck in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The stolen car was later recovered elsewhere in Virginia.
The two were extradited and returned to Massachusetts this week for the arraignment that happened late this morning.