BANGOR, Maine — The man accused of killing two people and wounding four others during an 18-hour shooting rampage in 2015, made a Thursday court appearance behind closed doors through a cellphone because he didn’t want to get out of bed, Superior Court Justice Ann Murray said.
A Maine State Prison official’s cellphone was taken into Anthony Lord’s cell so his lawyer could call him using FaceTime, a video chat service.
But Lord refused to talk or even roll over in bed.
“The FaceTime was not successful because the defendant would not participate,” Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea said.
Shortly after the call ended, Murray reconvened court and ordered a psychological exam for Lord, 36, of Houlton and Crystal. Lord is accused of shooting five people, killing two of them, beating another man and kidnapping a woman he knew.
Murray spoke to Lord by videoconference from the prison on Wednesday, and she agreed to allow him to appear by video again for the Thursday hearing over whether to suppress evidence.
When Lord refused to leave his cell, his lawyers tried to get him to appear through FaceTime to see whether he would waive his right to appear during the hearing, which would have allowed the motion to suppress to go forward without him. The judge postponed the hearing after the failed video chat.
The psychological exam will be Lord’s second and will determine if he is competent to stand trial. Murray ordered the first exam in August 2015 to determine whether Lord was criminally responsible or insane at the time of his alleged crimes, but those results will only be released if Lord’s attorneys use insanity as a defense.
Six relatives of the two men Lord is accused of killing sat in the courtroom gallery.
Lord, who has a long criminal history and is a lifetime registrant of the Maine Sex Offender Registry, was arrested on July 17, 2015 after allegedly going on an 18-hour shooting spree that resulted in the deaths of Kevin Tozier, 58, of Lee and Kyle Hewitt, 22, of Bangor, and gunshot wounds to four others.
The rampage and manhunt started in Benedicta and ended when Lord surrendered at his uncle’s home in Houlton.
He faces a slew of charges, including two counts of murder and attempted murder with a firearm.
Lord was originally set to plead guilty to the charges in December, but instead his two attorneys withdrew from the case, and Murray assigned David Bate of Bangor and Ellsworth attorney Jeffrey Toothaker.
Toothaker said Thursday that, because of his fighting, Lord has spent most of his time in Maine State Prison in the maximum security section.
Murray ordered that hearing on the motion to suppress be postponed for about 40 days, because it will take at least 30 days for the state to conduct the psychological evaluation.
If convicted, Lord faces between 25 years and life in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 for each murder charge. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a defendant convicted on multiple counts of murder may be sentenced to life in prison.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with a victims’ advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.