BELFAST, Maine — A man accused of killing a Florida firefighter in February in a drug-related shooting pleaded not guilty to murder Wednesday afternoon in Waldo County Superior Court.
Daniel Porter, 24, was indicted last month by a Waldo County grand jury and charged with one count of intentional or knowing murder in the slaying of Jerry Perdomo.
Police have said that Porter shot the 31-year-old Perdomo in the side of the head with a semiautomatic rifle on Feb. 16 at a rented home in Jackson after the two men had a dispute over drugs. Perdomo, a firefighter and emergency medical technician for the Seminole County Fire Department, reportedly had been coming to Bangor once a month for nearly a year in order to illicitly transport and sell prescription drugs from Florida.
On the day he was killed, Perdomo packed a gun and two cellphones and told his girlfriend, Lisa Gould of Bangor, that he had to go collect a debt, according to Maine State Police Detective Brian Strout, who testified at Porter’s bail hearing in March at Waldo County Superior Court.
Porter’s girlfriend, Cheyanne Nowak, met Perdomo at a Route 69 gas station and led him to the rural Jackson home where Porter was staying.
She then left the house to pick up her toddler while the two men were inside playing pool together, Strout said.
Porter later told police that he had owed Perdomo $3,000 and that Perdomo had threatened him and his family. One of the alleged threats was made public during Porter’s bail hearing.
Porter said Perdomo told him he would erase $500 from the debt if Perdomo could rape Nowak on the pool table.
After Perdomo was shot, his body was wrapped in blue tarps and then moved several miles to the woods near Porter’s grandmother’s home on Dahlia Farm Road in Newburgh, according to Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea.
Nearly two weeks later after a widespread search effort that included local police, wardens and firefighters from Florida, police found the body on a red sled off a woods path.
Police had arrested Porter and charged him with homicide the day before finding Perdomo’s body after discovering skull fragments and blood drops in the rented Jackson home.
Porter was denied bail during a March hearing at Waldo County Superior Court.
At that hearing, the courthouse was crowded with 75 or so of Porter’s family members and friends who donned yellow T-shirts after the hearing was over that read, “We Support The Right To Protect Our Families.”
After Porter was charged, his defense attorney Jeffrey Silverstein of Bangor said that the shooting was not an unprovoked incident.
“I think more facts will come out,” he said in March.
Some of Perdomo’s family members came to Maine to search for the missing firefighter and his widow, Tonya Perdomo of Orange City, Fla., attended Porter’s March bail hearing.
Family members shared a statement Wednesday morning before the arraignment.
“We as a family are still heartbroken and mourning the loss of Jerry,” the statement emailed from his brother-in-law Chris Lerch of Florida read. “Words truly can’t explain the feeling of shock and disbelief that still sets in when we think about Jerry being gone. We are very proud of the man he was. He served his country, his community and dearly loved his children. He is desperately missed by all, but especially by his mother. Even though we aren’t able to be there for the arraignment, we love him, and will continue to support him in spirit. We have complete faith in our Heavenly Father and in the State Attorney that the whole truth will be revealed, and justice will be served for Jerry.”
Why don’t they say one drug dealer accused of murdering another drug dealer instead of firefighter. So annoying.
Use some Wite-Out® on your computer screen, then fix the headline with a Sharpie® pen. Problem solved!
Probably for the same reason as the last 56 times someone has asked that question.
This is the first time I’ve seen that question asked.
Look just a few threads below. It is asked again (several times actually). Just like it is asked several times every time the BDN posts an article on the subject.
Agreed….also I like the quote from jerry’s brother-in-law, especially this part:
“We are very proud of the man he was.”
Oh good to know…so you’re proud of the drug-runner who has a wife and a girlfriend on the side, who also packs heat to collect debts, and who threatens to rape women…wow I see you set the standards of what is acceptable real high within your families huh?
Threatens to rape a woman? Who says oh yeah Porter the good ole Maine Boy. Perdomo is a drug dealer bringing drugs into Maine to deliver to Porter who in turn sold to his family and buddies. He didn’t want to pay his debt so he blew the guys head off. Porter had around 75 supporters at his first hearing…would you say the same thing about him? Are these supporters lower their standards because they are supporting a drug dealer who killed a man and probably offered his girlfriend to Perdomo in place of the 3000 debt — who knows Perdomo certainly isn’t here to tell his side.
I can’t believe that a Bangor Firefighter hauled drug dealers friend around and tryed to locate him. The other firefighter from Florida must have known something about the firefighter/ drug dealer was doing something illegal when he kept coming to Maine.
Wow, 78 likes on this, must be all of Porter’s family and friends actually read the paper. Honestly you folks need to let it go. If i was a writer for the BDN, i would make sure to continue to call Perdomo a Firefighter just to irritate you
i hear ya,he was a dealer and a fighterfheroighter to get the drugs!!!!!!Doesn’t make u a hero!
Say what? Sorry, I didn’t understand the jibberish. What is a fighterfheroighter?
And….he sold to another dealer who didn’t want to pay so he elimanated his debt by blowing off his head! See ya later young man…off to play with the big boys for you!
Florida firefighter? NO. Florida drug dealer.
So he wasn’t a Florida firefighter?
MAYBE….I dont know when he found the time what with all the DRUG DEALING he was doing 17 states away from home.
Other drug-dealers are happy that you apparently support the indirect subsidies they receive by making possession and sale of drugs illegal. It boosts the price they receive for those drugs to sky-high levels, encourages theft to support the expensive habit, and promotes violence within the drug trade.
Didn’t the total failure of alcohol prohibition teach us anything?
Legalize, regulate, and let the government be the supplier at low cost of drugs to these addicts. They will get unadulterated drugs and be constantly encouraged to kick the habit. We eliminate thieving to support the habit, violence among drug dealers, and the abuse of the Fourth Amendment that has come with the “War on Drugs.”
Gee, aren’t you describing Methadone clinics?
Ya, they’ve been a glowing success.
I read of no reports of thefts by Methadone patients, no turf wars between rival suppliers of Methadone, and no fatal overdoses at Methadone clinics.
Wake up and smell the coffee. The War on Drugs has been a colossal failure.
I was smelling the coffee since before you were born.
Your last paragraph perfectly describes what those clinic’s mission is all about.
You also must have your blinders on about all the quality of life crimes those people do, and regardless of your naivety of the utopian world of ample, free, and regulated/taxed drugs for the asking: Ya, that would solve all drug crimes. Witness all the types of morphine pills just a prescription away!
What on earth do you mean by quality of life crimes? I have traveled to countries like Switzerland which regulate drugs as I have proposed. It is infinitely safer than the USA.
(2006 – Switzerland – drug arrests) “Total drug arrests increased substantially in the 1990s and rose slightly in this decade. There was a large decline in heroin arrests (from 18,000 in 1997 to 6500 in 2006), compensated for by an increase in cannabis arrests. About 80 percent of arrests are for possession rather than dealing. Switzerland makes more arrests (per capita) for simple possession of cannabis than even the United States; comparative figures for a number of countries are provided in Figure S2. However at the other end of the criminal justice system, small numbers are sentenced to incarceration; out of roughly 40,000 persons arrested each year for drug violations, fewer than 2,000 receive terms of incarceration. Moreover the total number of convictions and incarcerations for drug offenses has hardly changed over the period 1990-2006, Fewer than one quarter of those sentenced receive terms as long as eighteen months. The majority of arrests are for possession of cannabis and result in fines of 250-300 CHF; these are not even recorded as convictions.
Now, what were you saying?
As Judge Judy sez: “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.”
Switzerland has supervised injection sites and heroin-assisted recovery programs that try to wean the addict off the drug. It has driven down the use of hard drugs.
WHY do they insist on saying “florida firefighter” ?!?!??!
The man was a drug dealer!
He transported drugs across state lines! LOTS OF DRUGS!
just because he was a firefighter doesn’t mean he wasn’t a bad man.
Seriously.
They have also told us that he was married and what town he is from. It is part of the story as it describes who the victim was.
How about drug dealer/firefighter? BDN? Any takers?
What I find curious is not much bashing going on about the Maine guy, who ia also a drug dealer, who doesn’t pay his bill, who kills people he owes money too, who doesn’t seem to have a good job or a degree. Makes me think might be all are pals with the Maine guy………….?
Just a supposition, but could it be because he’s a homeboy (and white), not an outta stateah?
You could very well be right. I perfer to look at the color of ones blood as oppose to color of skin. I hadn’t really noticed his color.
I usually don’t notice skin color either, but just maybe some of the shooter’s apologists do. Living in Boston, people are just a blur to me anyway.
It sounds better than saying an unemployed drug dealer without a degree
Then they’d be talking about Porter wouldn’t they?
They could say Florida Firefighter killed by unemployed, public educated man with math problems. Both dabbling in Free Enterprise
I completely agree and i get disgusted with many of the comments on here arguing about the status of “firefighter” or drug dealer. This guy was lured there for the sole purpose to erase the debt by erasing him…It was completely premedetated first degree murder regardless of the prior threat or the fact they were both involved with drugs. Porter spent all the money and used up all the drugs and he viewed this as his only way out. He was very sloppy, and he is going to get what he deserves, a life sentence hopefully at the crowbar motel.
I agree. If he felt his family and himself were in danger why did he send his girlfriend to show “the dangerous person” where he lived.
because he made the threat after he arrived….
In earlier articles Porter had stated that he knew Perdomo was in Maine to collect the debt and he feared him they’d already had a problem a month prior to this. So why did he bring him to the house?
exactly. it was a setup and it is so easily to see. I am not sure why he thought he could get away with this, he set him up, and poorly i may add, and once it happened his cockiness took ahold of him. Why would he bring a threat to his home? and if it was “self defense” than why have a plan, not contact the police, have a gun ready etc?????
A lot of people don’t like firefighter after Perdomo’s name and I agreed. On secound thought though, I would like to see Porter convicted. Perdomo can’t speak for himself, if this go’s to trial it adds to some credibilty on his behalf, rather than Porter killed drug dealer in self defence.
He was not a Florida Firefighter when he was in Maine — why aggrandize him in the headlines? He was here dealing drugs, nothing more, nothing less.
In reading this article I am quite disturbed by the following statement “Police had arrested Porter and charged him with homicide the day before finding Perdomo’s body after discovering skull fragments and blood drops in the rented Jackson home.” One drug dealer can be arrested and charged with homicide, before a body is recovered, on blood drops and skull fragments. What disturbs me is that no arrest has been made in the Ayla Reynolds case, over all this time, and more than “drops” of blood was found in her father’s basement/bedroom and the poor little girl was suffering with a broken arm as well. Articles in the media and press conferences have repeatedly said “Authorities know the three adults are not forthcoming”. “The abduction story is not true”. My question is Why, Why, Why have no arrest(s) been made in the case of this innocent little girl that has never done any harm to anyone?
What does a missing girl have to do with the actual article? I dont see how a missing girl is relevant. I know people are bent and thats fine, but what I dont understand is how bringing it up in a comment about something completely unrelated is even relevant or useful to either topic at hand.
Perhaps because with the possession of skull fragments they can legally prove a death has occurred? There may not be enough blood in the other case to assume a death. Just guessing, but it seems possible.
That’s a good question. I’d like to know the answer myself.
It’s called EVIDENCE. Skull fragment along with blood are EVIDENCE that a crime has occurred. A broken arm (with a story of a fall to go along with it), and more than a few drops of blood (perhaps she had a bloody nose, and Justin is a terrible housekeeper) are not evidence that a crime occurred. Arrest him now, and he may get off like Casey Anthony did.
*DISCLAIMER*
I am by NO MEANS defending Ayla’s father in my above statement!! I am just saying that they are not concrete proof that something has happened!
“Police had arrested Porter and charged him with homicide the day before finding Perdomo’s body after discovering skull fragments and blood drops in the rented Jackson home.”
First, the grand jury charged Porter, not the police. The police have no authority to file charges.
Second, “homicide” is not a crime.
Thank you once again Lawyer Robbins on keeping all us rednecks up to date on all dat lawyer speak…LOL
Any way you want to look at it, it was two lives that have senselessly been lost. Sad for both families. Jerry deceased and Daniel behind bars. And for the rest of both families life will go on.
After listening to the lawyers comments on the video it seems that Porter has embellished his intial claim that Perdomo had asked to have sex with his girlfriend on the pool table for 500.00 toward Porter’s bill. Now it seems that he’s claiming that Perdomo threatened the life of the child and whatever else he can think up to get him out of this mess.
IMO Porter probably asked Perdomo if he’d settle the bill if he agreed to give him his girlfriend — Perdomo declined the offer and Porter killed him. On second thought the whole stupid conversation never happened just like drinking beer and playing pool with a guy you fear really happened. Perdomo walked in and ambush! Still not sure why the girlfriend hasn’t been brought in — no way she didn’t know what was going on.
I think the girlfriend is going to be the state’s star witness, hence her being free as a bird since the murder of the FIREFIGHTER from Florida.
Always fun to stir the pot!
FIREFIGHTER/DRUG DEALER
You be the judge.
How exactly can the GF be the states “star witness”? She knew that Perdomo was running drugs. She knew that Perdomo went to Porter’s to collect a debt with a gun. I am guessing that the wife knew so much more than she lets on, you don’t have 2 houses in very nice hoods on a “firefighters” salary. Guilty by association is more like it. Do you suppose that the wife is still hanging out in Maine still playing with a relative of Porter’s, or maybe he is sleeping in Perdomo’s bed. Nothing like keeping it in the family.
What girlfriend are you talking about? I was talking about Porter’s girlfriend — you know the one that brought the guy to be slaughtered!
“We Support The Right To Protect Our Families.”
Ha! I could understand if the threat to your family wasn’t a drug runner/drug deal.
Silverstestein was on the news tonight saying it was self defense because he felt he was going to be killed by Perdomo due to the threats…Are you for real Jeff? What are ya thinking man? I thought you were a better lawyer than that crap. Porter is as guilty as sin and this is a loser case in every regard. You shoulda left this one for one of the flunkies fresh outta law school cause you got no prayer of reducing this one.
No such thing as a loser case to a “Lawyer!”
Was the home town guy a “FireFighter” too or JUST a “Drug Dealer /StealerKiller”?
Just curious.
Geeee…..what happened to Porters smug grin ? Oh waite, maybe its starting to set in that he is going to be found guilty and get at least 50 years…..
What happened to spell check??
50 years? Where do you get that number? Do you know how long a life sentence is? It’s not really LIFE.
Maine has what is called a life sentence……NATURAL life. That means you never get out . Maine has no parole either. The most good time that he can earn when he starts doing his time is 5 days a month. and I came up with the number 50 because that what most people get for killing someone in Maine.
Is it just me – or did a complete thread disappear overnight from this comment section? The one that started with me posting the following…
“Is anyone else bothered by how full of himself and unconcerned about the events surrounding him this guy is? Any pic or video I see of him he either has the smirk on his face or he is just hanging out. Seriously, you murdered someone! Even if the other guy was a drug dealer, you are still the one that killed him…. Do you have any remorse at all?”…
If it is still out there, I apologize, but I am not seeing it at all and had noticed my “likes received” went up considerably. I figured they were based around this comment and went back to check, and low and behold I can’t find it or the responses from the people that responded to it…
Let’s let the courts do their job. That is why we have a court system. I wasn’t there neither were any one of you. I can’t imagine being put in the situation that Danny was put in, would I do the same thing, possibly, I don’t know the situation. Would any of you do the same thing put in the same situation, possibly, but you don’t know what happened. I know the Porter family, they are a bunch of good ole’ boys. I also know that they would give any person the shirt off their back. They have families, kids, grandchildren. They have sat at my table & I at theirs. They are good people. If you met them on the street, they are just like you & I. They are good people. Even if Danny gets off from this charge he will still have it on his conscience. He took a life, the father of two children, that weighs heavy on any person. Back off people, let the courts do their job. Your only stressing yourself out by arguing with each other. I know I’ll get a lot of flack for this post & I’m not saying that Perdomo wasn’t a good guy but I didn’t know him. They both made mistakes, it can’t be changed.
Have a nice life
The “situation Danny was put in”?…
He’s not some innocent victim in any sense, he put himself in that situation all the way around. Even if the murder itself never happened, he was a dealer and a junkie, not some bystander who was pulled into the scenario against his will. And it only gets compounded with what took place that night that has no valid justification.
It’s not “self defense” when you send your girlfriend to bring the guy (who you’re supposedly terrified of) to your house (that Perdomo didnt even know the location of, as Porter had moved from the previous residence where the windows got broken), and then shoot him in the side of the head with a rifle to not have to pay a debt (but then have enough to buy a car outright and another almost 10 grand in cash).
Some stuff is not a mistake, it’s a flat out conscious choice. If Porter had those thousands on him, he could have paid the debt and have been done with the whole situation. If he didnt and stole the money off Perdomo after murdering him, obviously it wasnt just a matter of self defense (which is further demonstrated by trying to hide the body and use it for plea bargain leverage).
At any point Porter knew Perdomo was in Maine, he could have called the cops instead of send his girlfriend to lead him to a place he’d never been before and wouldnt have known where to find Porter. Instead, he chose to murder him, steal from the body, hide the body, run from the state, and then try to force the D.A. into giving him a deal by refusing to say where the body was. That is in NO WAY a “mistake”, that’s a string of choices.
I laugh at you HA!!!
Why are you laughing?
Very good post – and very well said!
Stevie, i sympathize with you honestly, and with many of his family. Seeing a relative make a poor batch of choices that will ultimately cost you time with your loved one is not easy. i have been through it on a much lesser degree many times myself with my son. Unfortunately drugs seldom cause good circumstances. He chose to get involved with drugs and put HIMSELF in the position he was in. He could have manned up and paid the fee, but he tried to take the easy way out, and wasnt smart enough. He will be in jail for most of the rest of his life and that is exactly where he deserves to be. His family must go on without him and realize there is nothing they could have done. He was an adult, he made a poor choice and now he has to pay for it.
I’m sure Perdomo was a good guy in his families eyes also…he sat at friends tables and lead the same lie Porter did. The difference is is that Porter has a chance to get off — Porter made sure that Perdomo would never get a chance to have the judicial system do its job. At least your good ole boy will get a chance to tell his pack of lies to the jury — Perdomo never will. And lets not forget Porter put himself in this postition he had his girlfriend bring Perdomo to this house. Porter and his girlfriend could have left the state a few days earlier and never bothered with Perdomo — they obviously had the means to do so.
…..