MILFORD – The death of a witness in the Cates murder trials will not affect the prosecution’s case, Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin said Aug. 4.

Jamie S. Hollins, 22, of Milford, died at his home in the Highland Estates apartment complex on West Street sometime before 8:02 a.m. July 31, when police and ambulance personnel arrived at Apt. 17.

It is not known how Hollins died. Results of an autopsy are not expected for about eight weeks.

Two young men, Steven Spader, 18, and Christopher Gribble, 20, both of Brookline, are awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges, accused of entering the Trow Road home of Kimberly Cates with the intention of burglarizing it and killing anyone inside. Authorities say they used a machete and a knife to kill Cates and seriously injure her 11-year-old daughter, Jaimie.

Spader is expected to go on trial in October, and Gribble is expected to be tried early next year.

Hollins was at a friend’s house in Amherst the night after the murder when Spader and Gribble stopped by to talk about how they had broken into a house in Mont Vernon and killed a woman and child there, according to a state police affidavit filed to support the searches and the charges in the case. They even showed off two knives, Hollins’ friend later told police.

After Spader and Gribble departed, the affidavit states, the Amherst youth and Hollins looked online for news of the murder that Spader and Gribble described to them. What they found, the affidavit states, “seems like it could match what they just learned from Gribble and Spader,” prompting the young man to inform his mother, who called Amherst police.

Two days after the murder, state police Sgt. James Geraghty summarized what police learned about the case. His 13-page report included the following sentence written by state trooper John Encarnacoa:

“On Sunday, Spader told Jamie Hollins all the details of the murder because he trusted him.”

Two other teens were allegedly in the Cates home and armed at the time of the attack.

William Marks, 18, of Amherst, filed an intent to plead guilty in Hillsborough County Superior Court last week, and the state attorney general’s office will recommend a sentence of 30-60 years.

Quinn Glover, 18, of Amherst, has pleaded guilty in exchange for a recommended sentence of 20-40 years.

A fifth teen, Autumn Savoy, 20, of Hollis, has pleaded guilty to helping the others attempt to cover up the murder after the fact.

In October 2005, Hollins was among 22 people rounded up by Milford police and charged with various crimes, including burglary, purse-snatching and home invasion.

Hollins was charged with burglary of an ice cream shop and at the time was facing another burglary charge. He was 17 and his address was given as the Echo Valley Campground in Lyndeborough.

According to his obituary, on the Nelson-Michaud Funeral Home’s website, Hollins was a machine operator at Hampshire Paper in Milford.

Kathy Cleveland can be reached at kcleveland@cabinet.com or 673-3100, ext. 21.