Murder defendant Thomas G. Bonfanti pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to an unrelated charge of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants, according to court clerks in Machias.
Bonfanti, 63, of Northfield was arrested for allegedly driving drunk on Jan. 31, three days before he allegedly shot four people, killing three of them, at three different houses in the Machias area.
Bonfanti is accused of having a blood-alcohol content of 0.19 percent when he was pulled over around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 31 by Machias police Officer Tyler Dunbar at the intersection of Center and Main streets, police have said. It is illegal in Maine to drive a vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher.
Bonfanti’s SUV struck a curb after Dunbar, responding to a complaint about his driving, found him driving on Main Street and ordered him to pull over, according to Machias police. The officer noticed Bonfanti was slurring his words and smelled of alcohol, and so administered a field sobriety test, which Bonfanti failed.
Bonfanti later was released on $500 unsecured bail.
Jeffrey Silverstein, Bonfanti’s defense attorney, did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday afternoon on Bonfanti’s plea to the OUI charge. Silverstein also represents Bonfanti on three charges of murder and one charge of elevated aggravated assault in connection with the Feb. 3 shootings in Machias and Jonesboro.
Killed in the shootings were Shawn Currey, 57, of Machias; Jennifer Bryant-Flynn, 49, of Machias; and Samuel Powers, 33, of Jonesboro. Regina Long, 49, who was shot at the Kennebec Road home in Machias that she shared with Currey, was released last week from a Portland hospital after having been in critical condition.
Police have not disclosed a possible motive for the killings or provided details such as the sequence in which the victims were shot. They have said that Bonfanti and all the victims knew each other prior to the shootings.
Bonfanti was arrested at the American Legion hall in Machias about half an hour after police first were notified of the shootings on the morning of Feb. 3. Bonfanti, an Army veteran and Legion member, had driven to the hall and told other members to call police to tell them where he was. Bonfanti was unarmed and was taken into custody without incident.
To prevent additional details about the case being made public before the case is presented to a Washington County grand jury, a judge has sealed the Maine State Police affidavit from the investigation. The Washington County grand jury is expected to meet later this month, but Bonfanti’s case might not be presented to the grand jury until May or July, according to lawyers involved in the case.
Bonfanti is not expected to enter a plea to the charges stemming from the shootings until after he is indicted. In the meantime, he is being held without bail at Washington County Jail in Machias.
