Milford – A Wilton man was arraigned on a second-degree murder charge today after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend to death in front of the couple’s two young children last week.

Benjamin Duling, 34, cradled his bandaged right hand as Judge Martha Crocker read a complaint filed against him in Milford District Court by the Attorney General’s Office. Duling allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Shelly McGrade, 35, by stabbing her in the neck and back during an altercation at the couple’s home on Duling Lane in Wilton just before 8 pm on April 18.

According to Jeffery A. Strelzin, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Duling and McGrade had an altercation in the kitchen of the home. He said that as the couple’s 2-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son watched, the altercation became violent and Duling stabbed McGrade in the back and neck with a knife. Duling injured his right hand during the altercation, Strelzin said.

Following the stabbing, Duling walked out of the house with the two children in tow and went to a neighbor’s house. The neighbor called 9-1-1 to report a medical emergency, Strelzin said. When the first responders arrived at the neighbor’s house, they checked on Duling and then went to the couple’s house, where they found McGrade dead on the kitchen floor.

As state troopers and Wilton Police spent the weekend investigating the homicide, Duling and the children stayed with family members, Strelzin said.

“It was a long weekend for everyone involved,” said Captain Russell Conte of the New Hampshire State Police. “We knew it was going to take some time to draw out all the evidence. We wanted to ensure there was no stone unturned.”

On Tuesday morning, after autopsy results were released from the state medical examiner’s office showing that McGrade died as a result of two stab wounds, Duling was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, Strelzin said.

Because the second-degree murder charge is a felony-level offense and beyond the jurisdiction of Milford District Court, Duling did not enter a plea and was ordered held without bail until a probable cause hearing on May 6. From there, the case will be transferred to Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua, Strelzin said.

The couple’s two children are staying with relatives, according to Strelzin, and efforts are being made to ensure they receive counseling and support. McGrade’s other two children by another marriage, who were not home at the time of the incident, are also staying with family members, Strelzin said.

►Wilton homicide: Couple was fighting before woman was found dead (17)
►Wilton woman dead after fight with boyfriend