PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A judge has concluded a law enforcement officer’s punch when a man was taken into custody for a deputy’s death was “not inflicted to secure a confession.”
The judge ruled Friday that a 90-minute state police interview with John Williams at the Waterville Police Department will be allowed at his June trial. But the judge said that the latter part of the interview including a re-enactment cannot be used.
The defense contends Williams was beaten and kicked, tired and hungry, and suffering from drug withdrawal when he waived his right to consult an attorney and confessed to police.
Williams is charged with the April 25, 2018, killing of Somerset Sheriff’s Department Cpl. Eugene Cole in Norridgewock. Williams was arrested several days later outside a remote cabin after a massive manhunt.
