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November 30, 2005
Juvenile charged in slaying of Marlee Johnston
AUGUSTA, Maine -- Prosecutors on Wednesday identified the 14-year-old boy who is charged with murder in the weekend slaying of a girl less than a quarter-mile from her home in Fayette.
Patrick Armstrong, also of Fayette, is charged with the slaying of Marlee Johnston, also 14, on Saturday, the attorney general's office said.
Armstrong was being detained in a juvenile facility pending a hearing in District Court in Augusta on Thursday, Deputy Attorney General William Stokes said.
Stokes would not release any details about the investigation, what caused Johnston's death or the suspect's background. No decision has been made on whether the state will seek to try Armstrong as a juvenile or adult.
"Because of the nature of the case, we are not saying whether he was a classmate" of the victim, said Stokes.
Johnston was an eighth-grader at Winthrop Middle School, but an official with the superintendent's office said Armstrong was not a student at the school.
Homicide investigators are barred by law from releasing the suspect's identity, state police Lt. Gary Wright said. But a petition filed with the District Court lists Armstrong's name, address and charge against him. His family lives a street over from the Johnston family's home.
"We don't expect any more arrests in connection with Johnston's death," Wright said.
The killing of Johnston left residents of the quiet central Maine town of about 1,000 in shock. Fayette is 18 miles west of Augusta.
Johnston had finished watching a movie with her older brother and was walking the family's two dogs when she failed to return home Saturday. Her 17-year-old brother, Alec, and father, Ted Johnston, went looking for the girl along a small road and dirt pathways near nearby Lovejoy Pond. Alec Johnston found his sister's body in the pond.
Prior to Tuesday's arrest, authorities advised residents of the area to take precautions such as locking their doors and having a companion when walking in isolated areas. Police patrols in the town were increased.
The last homicide in Fayette was 22 years ago. The stabbing death of Judith Flagg in her home remains unsolved.
A memorial service for Johnston has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon at Kents Hill School.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2005/11/30/juvenile_charged_in_slaying_of_14_year_old_girl_identified/
Posted by Nealus at November 30, 2005 03:54 PM
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