FARMINGTON, Maine — A Massachusetts man being held on a charge of murder waived his right to a jury trial Tuesday in Franklin County Superior Court.
Juan Contreras, 28, of Waltham, Mass., pleaded not guilty earlier this year to killing Grace Burton, an 81-year-old Farmington woman, in June 2011.
Appearing before Justice Michaela Murphy, Contreras agreed that he understood his rights to a trial before 12 jurors from Franklin County.
“The jury would have to be unanimous to convict you,” Murphy said.
With a jury trial, the state would have the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to 12 people instead of one person, she explained.
Sitting quietly with his attorney, David Sanders, Contreras voiced his understanding and his intent to continue with the waiver of a jury trial.
Murphy accepted the waiver and set aside five days for the trial scheduled for the week of Nov. 5.
Murphy also set an Oct. 26 date for Sanders to review and submit materials to Maine Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese regarding reports in his defense, a defense of involuntary intoxication.
Contreras continues to be held without bail in Somerset County Jail in Madison.
He is accused of stabbing Grace Burton 35 times after climbing through a window in her first-floor apartment in the early hours of June 21, according to a police affidavit.
She was taken to a hospital and was able to give police a description of her attacker before she died there.
At the time of the murder Contreras was living at 114 Pillsbury Lane, less than a quarter mile from the Margaret Chase Smith apartments on Fairbanks Road where Burton lived.
In July 2011, Farmington police Sgt. Michael Adcock assisted an ambulance crew when Contreras crashed his bicycle in Farmington. Talking with Contreras, Adcock learned that he had moved here from Massachusetts and had lived near the Burton residence but was soon returning to Massachusetts.
The case went unsolved for months and created fear in the community.
On a hunch, Adcock told Maine State Police detectives about the encounter that fall.
They found Contreras in Massachusetts and obtained a DNA sample in November. The sample matched DNA taken from the scene. Police arrested Contreras on a charge of murder.
Each and every state in the country needs to have the death sentence re-enacted so we can rid society of scum like this. We build bigger more elaborate prisons and give criminals many luxuries most decent hard working people can’t even afford, we give them free health, dental and education. This only proves that crime does pay in America
If I were the judge The word guilty! would be out of my mouth before the gavel struck
It should be MANDATORY that parents of these violent criminals own MOTHERS BE PRESENT IN THE COURTROOM during these trials!
Though likely impossible to mandate, at least an official letter should be sent pressuring them to come.. or letter afterwards describing testimony of the hidious crime their son/daughter was tried for.
a.) irregardless of the parents’ own court histories… it is of impact to see what their son/daughter did!
b.) KNOWING that their Mother has to be present (anf Father if he was involved in raising the adult child) and hear the gorey testimony during these trials MIGHT enter their minds before committing such crimes (if only impacting a few potential violent criminals, it’s of some good).
c.) Our legal system needs to use whatever it can to lessen violent crimes… even if the parent wasn’t a ‘good parent’, there is always some type of human connection -particularily between sons and their mother.
And supposedly it’s Obama who wants a nanny state and explosively huge government…
…
I’m just asking, why is this man being called a “Massachusetts Man” when his address is listed as “114 Pillsbury Lane, Farmington”. Is this this akin to the ever popular “transient” moniker the BDN uses on every other arrest that occurs in a Bangor Park? It really makes little difference as surely his future address will be the fires of hell. What a POS, I dislike many things about where I reside currently (moving home to Maine very soon after a 30 year exile), but they do have little problem sticking a needle in trash like this here. There is a special place in hell for dogs that hurt old people and kids.
I give up. What’s a POS?
Piece of s……
Piece of doodoo
Don’t expect too much after you move back. I grew up in Bangor and wouldn’t live there now. It’s said you can’t go home again, and that is a true statement I believe.My home away from Maine I really enjoyed in several states, for many years.
Good police work Sgt. Adcock.
People such as this usually do not fare very well once inside the walls of the graybar hotel. There is probaly a spot reserved for him in the prisoner section of the marble orchard.
I wonder…is he here in the U.S illegally?
Maybe he can be rehabed and someday become a productive stakeholder.