Teen Killer of Dartmouth Professors Granted Parole Hearing in 20 Years
WHO:
NY Post - Robert Tulloch, a Vermont man who was 17 at the time of the crime.
ABC News - Half Zantop, 62, and Susanne Zantop, 55, married Dartmouth College professors.
ABC News - James Parker, Tulloch's friend and accomplice, who was 16 at the time.
WHAT:
CNN - Judge Lawrence MacLeod resentenced Tulloch to a minimum of 45 years to life.
CNN - Tulloch could be considered for parole in 2046 when he is 62 years old, the same age Half Zantop was when he was killed.
Boston.com News - Lawyers for Tulloch and the prosecution reached an agreement, avoiding a three-day planned resentencing hearing.
NY Post - Tulloch is seeking to have his life sentence reduced to a minimum of 30 to 40 years.
Boston.com News - A judge ruled that Tulloch will have a chance at parole in about 20 years.
ABC News - Tulloch was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the 2001 stabbing deaths of the Zantops.
ABC News - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles are unconstitutional.
WHERE:
ABC News - The crime occurred in New Hampshire.
ABC News - Tulloch's resentencing hearing is set to take place in Grafton County Superior Court.
WHEN:
ABC News - Tulloch's resentencing hearing is scheduled to begin on Monday.
ABC News - The crime took place 25 years ago.
WHY:
CNN - New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella stated that the agreed-upon sentence provides certainty that Tulloch will remain incarcerated for a substantial period of time, allows him to pursue some measure of rehabilitation, and secures important protections for the community.
ABC News - The Supreme Court's ruling allows juvenile lifers a chance at freedom, impacting Tulloch's case.
ABC News - Tulloch's lawyers argue that a minimum sentence of 30 to 40 years is appropriate based on a review of other juvenile murder cases.
HOW:
ABC News - Tulloch and Parker planned to kill strangers and steal their money, which led them to the Zantops' home.
ABC News - Tulloch's prison records indicate he has had no major infractions since 2012 and no minor infractions since 2017.
ABC News - Tulloch expressed “significant remorse” in therapy records for his actions.
(UPDATED July 13, 2026 19:23 UTC)
Judge Lawrence MacLeod has resentenced Tulloch to a minimum of 45 years to life, with the possibility of parole in 2046 when he will be 62 years old, the same age as Half Zantop at the time of his death. This agreement between Tulloch's lawyers and the prosecution has successfully avoided a planned three-day resentencing hearing. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella emphasized that this sentence ensures Tulloch will remain incarcerated for a significant time, while also allowing for some rehabilitation and providing essential protections for the community.
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(UPDATED July 13, 2026 16:51 UTC)
Robert Tulloch, who was just 17 at the time of the crime, is seeking to have his life sentence reduced to a minimum of 30 to 40 years after pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of Dartmouth College professors Half and Susanne Zantop in New Hampshire 25 years ago. A judge has ruled that Tulloch will have a chance at parole in about 20 years, and his resentencing hearing is set to take place in Grafton County Superior Court on Monday. Tulloch's lawyers argue that his case should be reconsidered in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2012 ruling that mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles are unconstitutional, emphasizing his lack of infractions in prison and his expression of significant remorse.