ROCKLAND, Maine — The trial of a 69-year-old Rockland man accused of trying to kill his wife by pushing her off Maiden Cliff in Camden last year has been postponed to May at the earliest.
Justice Jeffrey Hjelm approved an order March 5 in Knox County Superior Court that continues the pending trial of Charles R. Black to May or July. The trial was originally scheduled for March.
Hjelm also gave the parties until Friday to file motions such as a request to hold separate trials on the various charges lodged against Black and a request to move the trial to a different county because of pretrial publicity.
Black was indicted in July for attempted murder, two counts of elevated aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of domestic violence assault. The charges were filed following an April 7, 2011, incident at the top of Mount Megunticook at a spot known as Maiden Cliff.
The state contends that Black struck his wife, Lisa, one or more times in the head with a rock, dragged her body to the edge of the cliff and pushed her off the mountain. Black told police he had passed out and fell forward, striking the back of his wife’s head with his head, according to the police report filed at the time of the incident.
Lisa Black fell a short distance, but then got up and managed to make it down to the bottom of the mountain, where she was spotted by a passing motorist. She was taken to the hospital, and Charles Black was found injured after a subsequent search. He was arrested a few days later after he was released from Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
His wife had recently inherited $4 million and she told police that her husband had been taking her money without her permission, according to police reports. The wife also maintained that Charles Black had been having an online affair with a former girlfriend from Arizona.
On March 1, Hjelm also approved a motion filed by the defense, with no objections from the state, that Charles Black’s bail be amended to allow him to travel out of state to Peabody, Mass., for his Mini Cooper car to be serviced.
“…bail be amended to allow him to travel out of state to Peabody, Mass., for his Mini Cooper car to be serviced.”
Huh? No garages in Maine? I guess the wealthy DO have a different justice system than the rest of us…
and if he gets convicted he won’t be needing his Mini Cooper anyway…so call a nephew or someone to take care of it…
Well, if he gets convicted–and it sure looks like chances are good he will–I’d hope that his wife would be able to enjoy having the car. Heck, from the way the article sounds, he might have bought it with money he pilfered from her anyhow.
No. Maine doesn’t have service for the Mini Cooper.
The sooner he is locked up (if he ever is) the better. I’d be willing to bet his mind is still in “plot mode”.
wow
All I can say is WOW!
Is “Minnie Cooper” his girlfriend’s name?
Good one.
All of this story is one-sided. I think SHE is making up a few things here, since day one! and no I don’t know either of them!
I agree. It seems odd to me she got to the road first and was the one supposedly hit in the head with a rock.
It does seem that a rock to the head would greatly handicap one from
getting to the road first. Possibly she wanted him out of the way so she could
have it all. I am not sure wouldn’t the divorce route get him part of this money
even though it’s her inheritance?
He just wanted her to FALL in love with him again !
the man tried to kill someone and he gets to go out of state to get his car serviced really?
I think it is one sided- HIS, this judge seems a little partial to this man, let him travel out of state, allow him to postpone trail and on and on. Even if he is innocent he shouldn’t be allowed to travel out of state while awaiting trial.
Why? it isn’t like he didn’t come back to face the music.
I hope someone is planning a movie about this story.
It sounds good so far.