On Monday, the judge wouldn’t set bail for a guy from Bangor who is suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend.
Richard Thorpe, 42, went to court for the first time in Penobscot County on a murder charge.
Virginia Cookson, 39, was found dead at her home on Larkin Street last Wednesday. Bangor police say Thorpe is to blame for her death.
Court papers show that Cookson was strangled.
Police say they were called to Cookson’s home and place of work in the days before she died because of Thorpe’s behaviour.
Investigators say that Cookson and Thorpe broke up not long ago.
Court papers say that his cell phone location showed that he went to Cookson’s Larkin Street home a lot the night before and the morning she was found dead.
“I think there isn’t enough evidence to warrant Mr. Thorpe’s arrest,” I told the judge. “That’s a little unusual in this case, but I don’t see any evidence that he killed anyone in those seven pages of the affidavit,” defence lawyer Don Brown said.
“I did look over the affidavit,” Justice Ann Murray said in response. Even though “probable cause” is a low bar, I believe it has been met in this case. In fact, another judge has already agreed. I’m going to set no bail because of this.
Thorpe was caught in Massachusetts early Friday morning. He was taken back to Maine and put into the Penobscot County Jail for Saturday night.
The next time he will be in court is in November.