AUGUSTA, Maine — A Kennebec County jury Thursday rejected a local man’s testimony that he stabbed his girlfriend in self-defense more than two years ago and found Justin Pillsbury guilty of murder, according to the Maine attorney general’s office.
Pillsbury, 41, fatally stabbed Jillian Jones, 24, in the Augusta apartment they shared on Nov. 15, 2013, jurors found. The prosecution maintained that he repeatedly stabbed Jones after he learned she’d been talking on the phone with another man.
“We are very pleased with the verdict,” Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber, who prosecuted the case, said Thursday in an email. “The jury weighed the evidence carefully and rejected the defendant’s phony self-defense story. Now, he will spend the better part of his life behind bars.”
Jurors deliberated about three hours, he said.
“I don’t understand the jury’s verdict,” defense attorney Stephen Smith of Augusta said in an email. “The clear testimony from the state’s own witnesses was that his blood was on the blade found next to her. This was a clear case of self defense and we will appeal.”
Pillsbury faces between 25 years and life in prison.
A sentencing date has not been set.
Pillsbury will continue to be held without bail at the Kennebec County Jail as he has been since his arrest two days after Jones’ death.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.