WTNH, the ABC-affiliated television station licensed to New Haven, Connecticut, has aired a seven-minute report into the “suspicious” death of ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist Oliver “Oli” Herbert.
The segment, which can be seen below, aired on Wednesday (May 26) as a memorial to the late guitarist, yet also noted that the investigation was ongoing.
The segment features several of Herbert’s family members and bandmates, including his sister Cynthia LeFave, ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist Mike Martin and singer Phil Labonte.
Oli was found dead on October 16, 2018 at the edge of the pond on his Stafford Springs, Connecticut property. He was reported missing by his wife about 3 p.m., and his body was found by police face down at the edge of the pond.
ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist Mike Martin put himself back to the day Herbert’s death was revealed: “Why am I getting texts that say, ‘Oli’s dead’?” he recalled. “I could feel my heart go into my throat. The next morning, [I was] just waiting to hear that it’s not true. I was texting Oli like, ‘Dude, just text me back, please.’ The next morning, they put it on the internet, and I was like, ‘I cannot believe this is real, like at all.'”
Added vocalist Phil Labonte, “I am really still mad at him, because he doesn’t have to be dead.”
The Connecticut State Police Eastern District Crime Squad is still investigating Herbert’s death, which is being treated as suspicious. They are specifically looking at a will he signed at a car dealership a week before his death.
The will named Elizabeth Herbert as executor and sole benefactor. It said that Oliver Herbert’s sister, Cynthia Herbert, should not become executor or receive anything from his estate. The will also stated that Elizabeth Herbert should get all “property as well as any current or future earnings.”
Last year, Labonte called Elizabeth Herbert a “garbage human being” who was “never allowed” to join the band on tour. “She would come to the local shows, because we couldn’t stop her from showing up,” he explained. “[But] she wasn’t allowed because she’s a garbage human being.”
Labonte said that he tried numerous times, albeit unsuccessfully, to convince Oli to get a divorce. “I can’t tell you exactly why he wouldn’t do it or what the circumstances [were] surrounding his resistance,” he said. “I don’t know. But I can say that I personally talked to him multiple times and said, ‘Look, if you need a place to stay, I’ve got plenty of room. Come to my house.”
When the singer was asked if he had an opinion on how Oli died, Labonte replied: “I do have an opinion on it, but I’m not gonna say. There is an ongoing investigation by the Connecticut state police.”