Dartmouth suspects captured

Following a nationwide manhunt, police apprehended the two teenagers wanted for the murders of Dartmouth College professors Half and Susanne Zantop early yesterday morning in New Castle, Ind. Robert Tulloch, 17, and James Parker, 16, were arrested at around 4 a.m. at a truck stop about 40 miles east of Indianapolis. Both teenagers are being charged as adults with first-degree murder. They allegedly stabbed the Zantops several times last month. "Basically at 3:30 [Monday] morning our officers had a meeting... during which there was some discussion about the homicides," Henry County Sheriff Kim Cronk said yesterday. Shortly after, Sgt. William Ward overheard a truck driver on a citizens band radio talking about two hitchhikers he had picked up near the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border. The driver could not take the boys all the way to California, like they wanted, and was wondering if anyone else could transport them. He did not know that the boys were wanted by the police. Ward posed as a truck driver on his CB radio and asked the driver to meet him at a truck stop off of Interstate 70. "I just said, 'Why don't you drop them off at the fuel desk and someone will pick them up?'"Ward said. There, he and two other deputies arrested Tulloch and Parker without incident. He also said that, although his office had received notice from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the ongoing search for the boys, they had no specific information, making the capture on "just a hunch." A nationwide search for Tulloch and Parker began this weekend, after authorities issued warrants for their arrest. "I never expected them to find who killed [the professors]," Dartmouth freshman Amy Wallace said. Wallace said she thought the arrests "came as a big surprise... because they were releasing so little information throughout." Investigators have remained relatively tight-lipped since the January 27 murders were first reported. Wallace added that the whole issue "sort of fell into the background" after the initial shock wore off. Dartmouth freshman Ben Flickinger said he felt that tension had been declining on campus for a while, but added that the arrest would help the college return to normalcy. "Most people had already moved on," he said. "But it provides closure, at least for a while since there is still the trial and all to go through." Students received an e-mail from Dartmouth President James Wright around 3 p.m. yesterday confirming that the teenagers had been apprehended. It also stated that "New Hampshire officials are working with the police in Indiana to secure the return of the young men to the state." Flickinger noted that overall, the administration has handled the issue well. He said he only wished more details had been released initially, though he added that he understood the veil of secrecy was necessary for the investigation. Provisions for counseling and increased safety services for students have been provided for students since the murders took place. Half and Susanne Zantop were found dead in their home on January 27. They are survived by their two daughters. The Associated Press contributed to this article.