BANGOR, Maine — Once the trial of the man accused of using Facebook to lure 15-year-old Nichole Cable to her death got underway Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement officers and a Glenburn resident described finding items of clothing the girl’s mother testified she was wearing the night she disappeared.
Dube’s trial was delayed until 1 p.m. because of the shutdown of both northbound lanes of Interstate 95 after more than 70 cars were involved in accidents in Carmel. Attorneys, a juror and some witnesses were stuck in traffic for nearly four hours.
Dube is accused of luring Cable out of her mother’s home in Glenburn on Mother’s Day nearly two years ago by using someone else’s identity on Facebook, then killing her in an abduction gone wrong. Dube allegedly planned to kidnap the girl, hide her, then find her and play the hero.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count each of kidnapping and murder in the May 12, 2013, death of the Old Town High School student.
Maine State Police Detective Jonah O’Roak and Maine Game Warden Sarah Miller on Wednesday told jurors that they found two black canvas shoes in a wooded area next to Spruce Lane, where Cable lived, in searches on May 16 and 17, 2013. O’Roak also said he found a pink and gray sock on a tree branch about 9 feet off the ground. The sock was turned inside out.
Debbie Belanger of Glenburn said that she was running on Hudson Road on the morning of May 16, 2013, when she saw a “pink jacket” and, in a different location, a piece of rope. Belanger told the jury she “didn’t think anything of it” until that evening when she saw a news report about a missing girl last seen wearing a pink sweatshirt. She led police to the items.
Kristine Wiley, Cable’s mother, testified Monday that when she last saw her daughter, she was wearing black canvas shoes, jeans and a pink sweatshirt. Wiley also identified the pink and gray sock as her daughter’s.
Before testimony began Wednesday, Superior Court Justice Ann Murray held a brief hearing while the jury was not in the courtroom to determine if photos of bound women in sexually suggestive poses may be submitted as evidence. They allegedly were found on the computer Kyle Dube used.
Dube’s parents and brother testified that they had not downloaded the pictures. Under cross-examination, the Dubes all said that Kyle Dube’s former girlfriend Sarah Mersinger also used the computer.
Murray said she’d rule on the issue later in the week.
Cable’s body was found late May 20, 2013, in a wooded area of Old Town. The teenager died of “asphyxia due to compression of the neck,” according to Dr. Margaret Greenwald of the state medical examiner’s office. Greenwald is to testify Thursday afternoon.
If Dube is convicted of murder, he faces between 25 years and life in prison. He is being held without bail.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.