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Maine saw 32 people killed in homicides in 2022

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Maine saw 32 people killed in homicides in 2022


Maine noticed greater than 30 folks killed in homicides final yr for the primary time in almost 15 years.

The state’s 32 murder deaths simply eclipsed the whole from 2021, when 19 folks died in homicides. However the 2022 whole fell wanting a report set in 1989, when there have been 40 slayings, in keeping with the Maine legal professional basic’s workplace, which prosecutes homicide instances.

The final yr the state recorded greater than 30 homicides was 2008, when 31 folks had been killed.

Fifteen of final yr’s deaths have been categorized as home violence homicides, through which a member of the family or home associate was slain. That determine is in keeping with murder deaths from most years.

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The Maine State Police Proof Response Group reply to a scene on Swetts Pond Highway in Orrington on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. The our bodies of Russell and Lois Swanson, each 89, had been found on the residence. The couple died in a murder-suicide, in keeping with officers. Credit score: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN

“Usually talking, home violence homicides make up about 50 % of the homicides annually,” Deputy Lawyer Basic Lisa Marchese stated.

Maine usually sees 20 to 25 homicides annually. Marchese declined to invest on why there have been a dozen extra homicides in 2022 than in 2021.

Three youngsters below age 4 had been among the many victims final yr, one fewer than the variety of youngsters below 4 killed in 2021, when the killings led to renewed scrutiny of the state’s youngster welfare system.

Of the 32 homicides final yr, police are nonetheless investigating 4, and no costs have been filed in 4 others for a wide range of causes. Defendants have been charged and are awaiting trial in 24 instances. 

Raymond Lester stands subsequent to a BMW X3 on this undated picture. Lester was accused of homicide within the demise of Nicole Mokeme in Winter Harbor. Lester pled not responsible in October. Credit score: Courtesy of Maine Division of Public Security

As a result of backlog within the court docket system brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, most trials on homicide and manslaughter costs gained’t be held till 2024.

A homicide conviction in Maine carries a penalty of 25 years to life in jail. The utmost sentence for manslaughter is 30 years in jail.

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Following is a listing of 2022 homicides and their victims:

The physique of Eva Cox, 58, of Lubec was discovered Jan. 11 within the trunk of her automobile parked close to her residence. She allegedly was shot to demise on Jan. 8. Her boyfriend, Paul DeForest, 67, of Lubec was arrested in Virginia the identical day Cox’s physique was discovered. He has pleaded not responsible to homicide and is scheduled to be tried in October in Machias.

Paula Johnson, 53, was shot behind the top on Feb. 8 at her residence in Pembroke. Johnson’s girlfriend Rebecca Moores, 42, of Robbinston, has pleaded not responsible to homicide. Moores is scheduled to be tried in January 2024 in Machias.

Abdallah Al Siraj, 50, of Portland was stabbed to demise Feb. 10 in his West Finish house. His physique was found by police throughout a wellness examine. His son, Salim Al Siraj, 23, of Portland, who has a historical past of psychological sickness, has been charged with homicide. He’s scheduled to be tried in Portland in December 2023.

Jennifer Lingard, 41, of Dighton, Massachusetts, was discovered useless at a Lovell residence early on the morning of Feb. 24 after a wellness examine was requested. Her demise was dominated a murder in August. She had been vacationing on the residence together with her two youngsters, who had been discovered on the residence unhurt, and Sami Daou, 33, of Newport, Rhode Island, who was not on the home on the time. Daou, the first suspect in Lingard’s demise, was discovered useless of a drug overdose two days later at his residence in Rhode Island.

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Darren Laney Sr., 62, of Large Lake Township was stabbed to demise March 10 on the household residence on Sunshine Lane. His son, Darren Laney Jr., 36, has pleaded not responsible to homicide. A trial date has not been set.

Jaden Raymond, 14 months, of Easton died March 19. His mom, Mariah Dobbins, 29, has pleaded not responsible to manslaughter. A trial date has not been set.

Kimberly Neptune, 43, of Perry was stabbed and reduce almost 500 instances on April 21 in her residence. Kailee Brackett, 38, and Donnell Dana Jr., 39, each of Perry have pleaded not responsible to homicide. They’re scheduled to be tried in December 2023 in Machias.

Derald Coffin, 43, of West Bathtub was sitting in a parked automobile on Woodford Avenue in Portland at about 1 a.m. on April 26 when he was approached by a bunch of individuals. An argument ensued, and Coffin and Annabelle Hartnett, then 27, had been shot. Coffin died of his accidents however Hartnett survived. Damion Butterfield, 23, of Saco, has pleaded not responsible to homicide and tried homicide. Thomas M. MacDonald, 44, of Westbrook and Anthony Osborne, 45 of Portland have each pleaded not responsible to felony homicide. Their trial dates in Portland haven’t been set.

James Cluney, 49 of Brooks was shot and killed in his residence on Could 6. Atilio Delgado, 17, who seemed to be dwelling with Cluney, has pleaded not responsible to homicide. As a result of Delgado is a juvenile, details about the standing of the case just isn’t obtainable.

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Renaldo Jones, 30, died on Could 10 after he allegedly was attacked in January by a fellow inmate on the Maine Correctional Middle in Windham.  Carl Williams, 38, who beforehand lived in Penobscot County, is charged with homicide. His trial date in Portland has not been set.

Tyler Morin, 36 of Lewiston was shot and killed Could 20 at an Augusta towing firm. The state health worker’s workplace dominated his demise a murder, however police concluded he was killed in an act of self-defense. No costs had been filed.

Octavia Huber-Younger, 2, of Wells was shot and killed on Could 21 on the household residence. Her uncle, Andrew Huber-Younger, 19, of Wells is charged in her demise. He’s additionally accused of wounding his brother, 22-year-old Ethan Huber-Younger, who’s Olivia’s father, and his father, 56-year-old Mark Younger, within the taking pictures that started in a dispute over a T-shirt. Andrew Huber-Younger has pleaded not responsible to at least one rely of homicide, two counts of tried homicide and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. A trial date for Alfred has not been set. 

Jeanine Ross, 66, of Bathtub allegedly was strangled to demise in her house on Could 24. Her son, Jason Ibarra, 43, of Bathtub has pleaded not responsible to homicide. Ibarra, who claims he killed his mom in self-defense after she attacked him, is about to go on trial in September in Bathtub.

Jeremy Gilley,  37, of Vassalboro was shot and killed within the hallway of his house constructing on Could 30, Memorial Day. One other tenant, 30-year-old Joshua Bilodeau was wounded however survived. No costs have been filed within the case and the Maine State Police don’t checklist it as being below investigation.

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Nicole Mokeme, 35, of South Portland was struck and killed in a hit-and-run on the evening of June 18 and 19 on the campus of the Schoodic Schooling and Analysis Middle in Winter Harbor. Her boyfriend, Raymond Lester, 36, of Portland, who fled the nation and was caught in Cancun, Mexico, on July 18, has pleaded not responsible to homicide. His trial is tentatively set for November.

Kelzie Caron, 21, of Auburn and Pierre Langlois, 21, of Connecticut, had been discovered useless on June 19 in an Auburn house. David Barnett, 34, of Bristol, Connecticut, was arrested in Maryland and charged with two counts of homicide. His trial is about for March 2024 in Auburn.

Alice Abbott, 20, of Skowhegan was killed at her dad and mom’ Canaan Highway residence on July 16. Jason Servil, 19, of Boston was arrested and charged with homicide and aggravated assault. A trial date has not been set.

John Paquin, 20, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was shot and killed July 17 on Howe Avenue in Lewiston. Mark John Sinclair, 29, of Lewiston has been charged with homicide. A trial date has not been set.

Brooke McLaughlin, 14, was killed July 17 at her dad and mom’ residence in Mount Vernon. Her 15-year-old boyfriend, Aidan Grant, of Wayne has been charged with homicide. It was the primary time in a decade {that a} juvenile had been arrested for homicide or manslaughter within the slaying of one other juvenile. Details about the case is sealed as a result of Grant is a juvenile.

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Nicholas Trynor, 27, was shot and killed Aug. 6 on the Mexico residence he shared together with his mom and stepfather. Thomas Tellier, 53, of Mexico has pleaded not responsible to homicide within the demise of his stepson. A trial date has not been set.

Walter Omal, 31, of Portland died on Sept. 7 after being shot in Deering Oaks Park. Amin Awies Mohamed, 38, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, has pleaded not responsible to homicide. His trial is tentatively set for November in Portland.

Neil Salisbury, 71, was discovered useless Oct. 3 at his Shore Highway residence in Lamoine. Maine State Police proceed to research his demise.

Russell and Lois Swanson, each 89, died of their Orrington residence on Oct. 5 in what police described as a murder-suicide. Particulars about their deaths haven’t been made public.

Nicholas Blake, 37, of Lewiston was shot and killed in an tried theft at his residence on Oct. 19. Barry Zollarcoffer, 47, of Lewiston and  Andrew Stallings, 36, of Rumford have pleaded not responsible to homicide, theft and housebreaking costs. A trial date has not been set.

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Matthew Adams, 36, of Whitneyville was killed Nov. 17 throughout a house invasion in Cherryfield. Maine State Police proceed to research his demise.

Bethany Kelley, a 23-year-old unhoused feminine from Portland was discovered useless on the road on Nov. 18. Portland police are investigating her demise however haven’t launched particulars about how she was killed.

Gabriel Damour, 38, of Poland was stabbed, overwhelmed and strangled, and his physique was mutilated in his trailer on Thanksgiving. His brother, Justin Butterfield, 34, of Poland, has been charged with homicide. A trial date has not been set.

Tylor Flexon, 26 of Portland died of gunshot wounds on Nov. 29. Tristin Chamberlain, 21, of Portland has been charged with homicide. A trial date has not been set.

Lacresha Howard, 24, of Lewiston was shot behind the top on Dec. 11 within the hallway outdoors her house. Eddie Massie, 40, of the Lewiston space is charged with homicide. A trial date has not been set.

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Drew McKenna, 23, of Rumford was shot on the household residence on Dec. 19. He died of these accidents a couple of days later. His brother, Shea McKenna, 27, of Rumford is charged with manslaughter.

On Christmas Day, 3-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan died after police had been referred to as to her residence Edgecomb. Police haven’t but charged anyone within the killing, which the health worker’s workplace dominated a murder. Her demise is below investigation.

Two folks additionally had been charged in 2022 in homicides that occurred in earlier years. 

Lee Daigle, 58, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was indicted for homicide on June 9 by an Aroostook County grand jury for the demise of her new child daughter on Dec. 6, 1985 whom she allegedly deserted at a Frenchville gravel pit in subzero temperatures. The child, who has turn into often called Child Jane Doe, was later found by a canine, a Siberian Husky named Paca, who carried her physique to its house owners’ residence lower than 1 / 4 mile away. Daigle has pleaded not responsible and is scheduled to be tried in September.

Colette Daggett, 43, of New Winery died on June 1, 2021, in what seemed to be a automobile accident. Her demise was not dominated a murder till a yr later. Her husband, Wilfred Daggett Jr., 43, of New Winery, was charged with homicide however took his personal life on June 10 when police tried to arrest him.

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Maine

Arrest made in shooting incident stemming from fight at Maine steakhouse

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Arrest made in shooting incident stemming from fight at Maine steakhouse


Police say they have made an arrest in connection with a shooting last month that stemmed from a fight that broke out at a steakhouse in South Portland, Maine, last month.

South Portland police said 21-year-old Jonathan Hanson, of Buxton, was arrested Wednesday in Buxton. He was one of two suspects in a Dec. 18 incident in the Maine Mall area. The other one, 21-year-old Navinn Ean, of Westbrook, is still at large.

Police said they responded to the Kobe Steakhouse at 380 Gorham Road at 5:13 p.m. that day for a report of a possible shooting in the parking lot. Responding officers learned that a fight had broken out inside the restaurant between two sets of individuals. The altercation moved from inside the restaurant to the parking lot, where a suspect from one of the groups displayed and threatened people in the other group with a handgun.

The victims were able to flee in a vehicle, but they were followed by the suspect in another vehicle. When both vehicles reached the intersection of Gorham Road and Western Avenue, the suspect allegedly fired the gun in the direction of the victim’s vehicle. The vehicle was struck by gunfire, and the suspect then fled onto Western Avenue.

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No one was injured in the incident, police said.

South Portland police said their investigation led them to believe the vehicle used in the crime, a blue Dodge Charger, was located at an address in Naples. A search warrant for the property was issued, and the vehicle was impounded as evidence. The suspects were not present, however.

On Tuesday night, Buxton police attempted to make a traffic stop on a pickup truck, but the driver sped off in what appeared to be an attempt to avoid contact with police.

Buxton police later located the vehicle in a driveway on Haines Meadow Road, an address with ties to the South Portland shooting suspects. As officers were getting ready to enter the home, they used a loudspeaker system in an attempt to make contact with Hanson, who they believed to be inside. He eventually came out and was arrested around 11:30 p.m.

Hanson was taken to Cumberland County Jail and faces charges of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, criminal mischief and terrorizing. He was arraigned Wednesday and bail was set at $10,000 cash.

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The secret plan to save Maine’s iconic red hot dogs after federal dye ban

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The secret plan to save Maine’s iconic red hot dogs after federal dye ban


Maine’s last red snapper maker is changing the recipe for its iconic hot dogs after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned a key dye the company uses to give the sausages their distinctive color.

The FDA is banning the use of red dye No. 3 in foods, drinks and medications. The synthetic dye is often used to give products a bright, cherry-red color and was linked more than 30 years ago to cancer in animals.

In November 2022, roughly two dozen advocacy organizations and individuals filed a petition to ban the dye, according to the FDA.

W.A. Bean & Sons, the lone remaining Maine-based company that makes the bright hot dogs often called “red snappers,” uses red dye No. 3 along with red dye No. 40 and yellow dye No. 6, according to the package.

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The company expected the FDA to eventually ban the ingredient, said Sean Smith, W.A. Bean & Sons’ sales director. Because of this, the business has been exploring ways to make red snappers without the artificial additive while keeping the color and taste identical, Smith said.

“We’ve done test batches already and we expect to have something ready very soon,” Smith said. “We’ve survived multiple world wars and depressions and our red hot dogs aren’t going anywhere.”

Smith declined to share further details on how the secret recipe for red hot dogs will change.

The FDA’s ban comes at a time when W.A. Bean & Sons is seeing sales of the iconic red snappers soar. The company now makes an estimated 650,000 to 700,000 pounds of red dogs annually, compared with the 400,000 pounds they made a decade ago, Smith previously told the Bangor Daily News.

The hot dogs are often called “red snappers” due to the thick casing that gives the sausages their distinctive “snap” when you bite into them. The product has joined the ranks of blueberries, lobster and whoopie pies as an iconic Maine food, despite other states having hot dogs with a similar hue or snappy consistency.

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Food manufacturers have until Jan. 15, 2027, to stop using red dye No. 3 in products while drug manufacturers have until Jan. 18, 2028, according to the FDA. Other countries that allow the ingredient will have to comply with FDA rules if products are imported to the U.S.

W.A. Bean & Sons’ foresight is good news for Simones’ Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston, where red snappers have been a top-selling item throughout its 117-year history, according to owner Jim Simones.

“We’ve been in business since 1908 and we’re synonymous with the red dogs,” Simones said. “We sell beef dogs too, but red dogs are the most popular.”

When tourists stumble upon red hot dogs at Simones’ stand, they often question what gives them their glaring reddish-pink color. But, once customers try them, they usually find they like the sausages, Simones said.

“I tell them they’re just like our lobsters — when we put them in boiling water, they turn red,” Simones said.

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Simones was pleased to hear W.A. Bean & Sons is finalizing a red hot dog recipe that doesn’t use the outlawed dye but will keep the product’s color the same.  

“It’s unique to Maine,” he said of the snappers. “You can’t lose that red.”



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Members of Maine delegation welcome Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement

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Members of Maine delegation welcome Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement


Members of Maine’s congressional delegation welcomed news of a ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war Wednesday, saying it’s a good first step that will bring hostages home and end the conflict, at least temporarily.

President Joe Biden and other officials announced Wednesday that the two sides have reached a 42-day agreement that includes the release of hostages and Israeli forces withdrawing from more populated areas in Gaza.

The agreement, which is not finalized, is likely to offer respite from a conflict that began in October 2023 and has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 47,000 Palestinians and 2,000 Israelis.

“Today’s ceasefire and hostage agreement is a welcome announcement. … While there is much about the agreement and the future that we do not yet know, what we do know is that the tragedy of October 7 can never be allowed to occur again,” Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said, emphasizing her support for Israel in the statement emailed by her office.

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Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said in a statement Wednesday that the first stage of the agreement calls for an immediate ceasefire, a surge of aid to Gaza and the release of 33 women, children and elderly currently held hostage by Hamas.

Golden said those are all “good first steps.”

“I look forward to the implementation of a final agreement that ensures that all remaining hostages are returned home to their families and that Hamas lays down the weapons it took up when it started this conflict,” he said. “If Hamas abides by the terms of such an agreement, I believe there can be a path towards a more lasting peace in the region.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, also was relieved to hear of the agreement.

“This could not have been achieved without tireless diplomatic efforts to bring both parties to the table, and I am grateful the Biden Administration got this agreement across the finish line before leaving office,” Pingree said in a statement.

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“There is still a lot of uncertainty; the Israeli Cabinet needs to approve the deal, hostages need to be released, and humanitarian aid needs to pour into Gaza. I remain cautiously optimistic, but this is a promising step forward.”

This story will be updated.



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