WISCASSET, Maine — Arline Lawless, who is accused of murdering her boyfriend, Norman Benner, last month in Waldoboro, said little Friday during her first appearance in Lincoln County Superior Court.
Shackled at the wrists and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, Lawless spent only a few minutes in Justice Jeffrey Hjelm’s courtroom and declined to enter a plea to the charge against her.
Her court-appointed attorney, Philip Cohen of Waldoboro, agreed with Assistant Attorney General Deb Cashman that there is no rush to conduct a bail hearing within the normal timeline of five business days, and Hjelm said it would take place at the next available opportunity. Hjelm also granted a request by Cashman that the state be given 90 days for evidence discovery in the case.
The 25-year-old Lawless, who also goes by the name Arline Seavey, is accused of shooting and killing Benner, 34, sometime before the morning of Monday, July 23, as he slept in his bed at 2177 Friendship Road in Waldoboro. Lawless then shot herself, according to investigators. Lawless and Benner were found July 23 by one of Benner’s relatives.
Lawless was arrested Wednesday as she was being discharged from Spring Harbor treatment center in Westbrook.
According to a police affidavit filed with the court, Lawless told two different state police investigators that she shot Benner because he planned to break off their relationship. The state medical examiner’s office said Benner died from a close-contact gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Lawless also is charged with assault in connection with a separate incident, but that charge was not addressed during Friday’s hearing.
Murder is never a solution. You take another person’s life and throw your own away.
“Declined” sounds so polite under the circumstances.
It’s sad to see a young life be thrown away like this.
I would think it’s even more sad to have a life taken away like that.
It will be interesting to see if her attorney asks for a Stage III evaluation for competence or will seek NCR standing.
What’s NCR standing?
Not Criminally Responsible – I believe… Not quite the same as the insanity plea, but by the looks of her and the fact that she was recently at Spring Harbor Treatment Center; anything is possible. Also, what is wrong with her eyes? Does any one know? I have read both articles about her and in both pictures she looks the same….
Thank you. I just checked the Maine Criminal Code; in sec. 40, it refers to a plea of not criminally responsible due to insanity and the procedure for bifurcating the trial when a defendant combines a not guilty plea with a plea of NCR due to insanity. So I believe the NCR due to insanity is the only insanity plea allowed under Maine law.
Her eyes? Maybe it has something to do with the gunshot to her face, of which I see no other evidence from these pictures.
This article/headline is a little misleading…the defendant didn’t “decline” to enter a plea at a time she otherwise might have–typically no pleas are entered or even discussed in the initial appearance for a murder or other felony because the defendant has the constitutional right to be indicted by a grand jury. Even if she had wanted to waive indictment, the judge would not have entertained a plea at the first court appearance.
Why is it that when
terrible crimes happen in Maine everyone is so appalled, but then it seems like
so many Maine people can’t be bothered with calling for more resources to be
given to the Courts Corrections and the Police. I don’t know, just
saying.
By the time the domestic violence nuts are done with this story, the prosecutor and the press will be calling this woman a “victim” of some made up abuse who suffered “battered woman’s syndrome.” Violent abusive women more often than not get away with child abuse, domestic violence, and even murder—whatever “she” does somehow its always some man that gets blamed for her actions.
There is a war on men and boys and the corrupt courts and DV industry FRAUD are making sure that men and boys are the ones who are controlled and punished.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEFnHebBgpo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzfEzXY-Erg
This “Lawless” woman didn’t need to kill her boyfried any more than Amber Cummings did, all she needed to do was just accuse him of “abuse” and the domestic violence crazies would have him arrested and put through the shredder. It’s very easy to do because the system hates men. Even now, reading articles about this case people are quick to call this woman a victim who is “sick” and suffering from “borderline personality disorder” and has abandonment issues. When was the last time anyone allowed a man accused of domestic violence or murder such sympathy as to be called a victim? Or having feelings and emotions? Of being driven over the edge by his abuser? There is a war on men and boys, and in that war they are dehumanized and punished. And we see the fruits of that war by the way people have been conditioned to hate men and sympathize with even murderous women.