LANCASTER, N.H. — A New Hampshire man accused of helping a woman ransack her father’s grave in search of his “real will” pleaded guilty in a plot a prosecutor described as “something out of an Edgar Allan Poe story.”

Michael Day, 38, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges including criminal mischief for breaking into the vault that held the remains of businessman Eddie Nash.

Nash’s daughter, Melanie, and two others were also charged in the May 11 break-in at a Colebrook Village Cemetery.

Prosecutor John McCormick said those who happened upon the grave the next day found a “horrendous scene” reminiscent of a macabre Poe mystery, The Caledonian Record reported.

Police said cash, a bottle of vodka and cigarettes were taken from the grave, but there was no will.

Melanie Nash, 53, and another defendant have not yet entered pleas. A fourth pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and abuse of a corpse on Monday.

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Also Wednesday, Nash’s lawyer unsuccessfully tried to suppress statements she gave to police, including a written account from June in which she described discussing the plan with the others and holding a flashlight while the grave was searched.

“All this was done for the right reasons and I know my father would be OK with it,” Nash wrote, adding, “We did it with respect.”

The lawyer argued some statements were given before Nash was informed of her right against self-incrimination. But a judge ruled that Nash freely came to the police station after a warrant had been issued for her arrest and voluntarily gave her statements.

Eddie Nash died of a heart attack in 2004. He started a heavy equipment business in 1979 that is still run by his family.


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