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New trial begins for Maine man in death of 3-year-old Edgecomb girl

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New trial begins for Maine man in death of 3-year-old Edgecomb girl


BATH, Maine (WGME) — A new trial began on Tuesday for a Maine man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter in Edgecomb.

Tyler Witham-Jordan is charged with depraved indifference murder for the death of Makinzlee Handrahan.

On Christmas morning in 2022, Handrahan’s mother, Faith Lewis, called 911 around 7:30 a.m. after finding her daughter cold, stiff, bruised, and not breathing.

Dispatchers said they heard the girl’s mother say, “Oh my god, I think my daughter’s dead.”

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A photo of 3-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan is shown during{ }Tyler Witham-Jordan’s trial. Witham-Jordan is accused of killing Handrahan in 2022 in Edgecomb. (WGME)

Her boyfriend, later identified as Witham-Jordan, could be heard saying, “I’m f—-d” and “I’m finished.”

First responders said they found bruises all over the little girl’s body.

The medical examiner ruled her cause of death blunt force trauma and said she had internal injuries.

According to court documents, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said there was a DHHS investigation in October 2022 after Handrahan’s daycare reported she had a scratch and bruises, which her mother and Witham-Jordan said were caused by a cat scratch and falling on the stairs. Investigators said there was also purple swelling under her eye at the time.

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Police said Witham-Jordan was still living with Handrahan and her mother months later when she was found dead on Christmas.

Witham-Jordan’s first trial began in December 2024.

During the trial, the state claimed Witham-Jordan had been agitated that the child had been sick around the holiday and was looking to get high.

“All 27 pounds of her was killed, quietly and discreetly. No one heard her die,” state prosecutor Lia Bogue said. “He wanted to get together with his connection on Christmas Eve because he needed more drugs.”

Both sides focused on early morning texts between Witham-Jordan and Lewis about checking on her, because she had been in bed for hours.

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{p}The apartment complex off Route 1 in Edgecomb where 3-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan lived. She died on Christmas Day 2022. Her death has been ruled a homicide. (WGME){/p}

The apartment complex off Route 1 in Edgecomb where 3-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan lived. She died on Christmas Day 2022. Her death has been ruled a homicide. (WGME)

Defense attorney Jim Howaniec said the state didn’t have evidence that Witham-Jordan committed the crime.

Attorneys gave theories about DNA evidence at the scene, including on a comb with a “huge” clump of the child’s hair found in the bathroom. The defense accused Lewis of committing the murder instead.

However, Witham-Jordan’s first trial ended in a mistrial after Handrahan’s mother was shown her daughter’s battered body and cried out at Witham-Jordan, “What did you do to my baby?”

Because of that, the defense asked for a mistrial, and the judge granted it.

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Witham-Jordan’s second trial began on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.



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Woman presumed dead in Readfield house fire; husband hospitalized

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Woman presumed dead in Readfield house fire; husband hospitalized


Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions

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Maine Department of Public Safety

woman presumed dead in readfield house fire; husband hospitalized

SOURCE: Maine Department of Public Safety

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Woman presumed dead in Readfield house fire; husband hospitalized

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Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions

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Updated: 8:48 PM EDT Apr 4, 2026

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A woman is believed to have died in a house fire Friday night in Readfield, officials said.Firefighters responded to a home on Plains Road at about 9:51 p.m. and found the structure heavily involved in fire. Neighbors helped 74-year-old Jerrold Wentworth escape from a second-floor window. He told crews his wife, 75-year-old Carolyn Wentworth, remained inside.Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions.Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office later located a deceased person in the debris early Saturday in the area where Carolyn Wentworth had been sleeping. The body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for identification and cause of death.Jerrold Wentworth was hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A woman is believed to have died in a house fire Friday night in Readfield, officials said.

Firefighters responded to a home on Plains Road at about 9:51 p.m. and found the structure heavily involved in fire. Neighbors helped 74-year-old Jerrold Wentworth escape from a second-floor window. He told crews his wife, 75-year-old Carolyn Wentworth, remained inside.

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Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions.

Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office later located a deceased person in the debris early Saturday in the area where Carolyn Wentworth had been sleeping. The body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for identification and cause of death.

Jerrold Wentworth was hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Appeals court rules Maine’s gun waiting period likely constitutional

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Appeals court rules Maine’s gun waiting period likely constitutional


The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that Maine’s 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases is likely constitutional, overturning a lower court’s decision that had blocked the law from being enforced.

A three-judge panel vacated a preliminary injunction that had prevented Maine from enforcing the law, which requires a 72-hour waiting period for a gun buyer to take possession of a firearm after purchasing it.

The panel found the law does not violate the “plain text” of the Second Amendment.

Circuit Judge Seth Aframe wrote that while the Second Amendment protects the right to “keep and bear” arms, the Maine law regulates the acquisition of firearms, which is a step that happens before a person actually possesses or carries a weapon.

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In the 24-page ruling, the court characterized the law as a “presumptively lawful” condition on the commercial sale of firearms rather than an outright ban. The court concluded the 72-hour delay is a “modest” burden similar to the wait already allowed for federal background checks.

This law and one expanding background check requirements was enacted in 2024, six months after 18 people were killed in the mass shooting in Lewiston. Lawmakers designed the “cooling off” period to reduce suicides and homicides sparked by impulsive firearm purchases.

The lawsuit was brought by a gun buyer, a firearms training business and three firearms dealers. They argued the law interfered with the rights of victims of domestic violence to immediately protect themselves and caused significant business losses for firearms dealers.

The court concluded the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim, which sends the case back to the district court. By vacating the preliminary injunction, the appeals court allows the state to resume enforcing the waiting period while the underlying lawsuit continues.

This is a developing story.

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Maine could soon see a statewide ‘bell-to-bell’ cellphone ban in schools

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Maine could soon see a statewide ‘bell-to-bell’ cellphone ban in schools


AUGUSTA (WGME) — Maine could soon join a growing number of states that ban cellphones during school hours, after lawmakers advanced funding to create and enforce a statewide “bell to bell” policy.

Governor Janet Mills called for the ban during her State of the State address back in January.

“I propose that we enact a statewide ban on cellphone use during the school day, from bell to bell, to reduce distraction and disruption and to keep children’s attention on learning,” Mills said.

Earlier this week, the legislature’s budget committee signed off on $350,000 to support starting a statewide school cellphone ban. The proposal would prohibit students from using their cellphones or smart devices from the first bell until they are dismissed.

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“Appropriations has included $350,000 in its budget to support schools with the ban, presumably to cover the cost of phone lockers, Yondr pouches and other possible ‘enforcement-related’ expenses for this possible rollout,” Maine School Management Association Executive Director Eric Waddell said.

Some Maine schools already have their own restrictions. At Cony High School, Principal Kim Liscomb says the school began implementing stricter cellphone policies five years ago after teachers reported students were distracted.

“We said, ‘All right, nope, they need to be in backpacks, they need to be in bags, they can’t be out at all, and there only certain areas in the school you can use them,” Liscomb said.

Under Cony’s current rules, students are permitted to use their phones before and after school and during lunch. Liscomb says the tighter policy has improved classroom participation.

“The best impact is the engagement of students in the classroom, the highly engaged conversations and discussions, teachers have reported a significant improvement there,” Liscomb said.

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In response to this proposal, some state lawmakers like Representative Jack Ducharme of Madison say they are against an entire state mandate.

“I did not, nor will I support a state mandate for local schools to ban cellphones in the classroom bell-to-bell. We have local school boards made up of local people: parents, grandparents and others that represent the people of that school district. While I understand that cellphones in schools are a problem, I trust local people to address the problem rather than another government mandate,” Ducharme said.

Waddell says that if a statewide school cellphone policy is enacted, the association will work with the Maine Department of Education to provide a sample policy for school boards.

The proposal still must pass the House and Senate before it can go to the governor for approval. If passed, it would take effect at the beginning of next school year.



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