The Clifton man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the back with a 12-gauge shotgun earlier this year pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of murder.
Dwight Jay Osgood, 37, allegedly confessed to police that he killed Kary Dill, 35, of Clifton in the home they shared on Route 9 next to the Clifton General Store.
The defendant looked different Thursday from how he did at his first appearance at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor. His hair was cut short, and he was clean shaven except for a goatee. Osgood was dressed in orange jail clothes and used a cane. He walked with a slight limp and wore a brace on his right wrist.
Osgood’s attorney, Jeffrey Toothaker of Ellsworth, said after the arraignment that his client suffered injuries shortly after his arrest when he deliberately fell backward over a stair railing in the Penobscot County Jail. He said that Osgood has recovered well from his injuries.
After Osgood entered his plea, Superior Court Justice William Anderson ordered that Osgood continue to be held without bail, which is not unusual in a homicide case.
A trial date has not been set.
Toothaker and Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea, who handled Thursday’s arraignment but is not prosecuting the case, declined to comment on the case.
Osgood called police in the early morning of Jan. 14 to report Dill’s death and told investigators that he had woken to find her dead body lying on their kitchen floor, according to the affidavit. He was arrested the following day.
At first, Osgood allegedly told investigators that he had taken eight Valium pills to help him sleep the previous night and then passed out. Dill still was awake and drinking rum at that time, the police affidavit said.
Osgood also told police that he woke around 4 a.m. in his bedroom and found Dill’s dead body lying face-up on their kitchen floor, with blood pooled behind her head and back. Because their supply of firewood seemed low, he originally told police that she may have been trying to load the wood stove and slipped, striking her head on the stove.
Prosecutors with the Maine attorney general’s office declined to comment on the case. It is the practice of the office not to comment on pending cases.
If convicted of murder, Osgood faces 25 years to life in prison.
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.