BANGOR, Maine (AP) A judge says a 57-year-old Maine man is guilty of murder in a nearly 40-year-old killing case that baffled authorities in Maine.
Philip Scott Fournier was charged in 2016 with killing 16-year-old Joyce McLain in East Millinocket in 1980. Superior Court Justice Ann Murray issued her verdict on Thursday morning in a packed Bangor courtroom.
McLain disappeared while she was jogging and her body was found two days later.
A defense lawyer said during final arguments earlier this month that “doubts will linger” over the case regardless of whether Fournier was convicted. The defense also argued that Fournier’s memories, which were central to the prosecution’s case, were unreliable.
There also wasn’t physical evidence tying Fournier to the crime scene. But prosecutors said he confessed numerous times over the years.
