Man gets 55 years for killing Maine farmer and hiding his body in a barrel

A Leeds man will spend 55 years behind bars for killing a Windham man and stuffing his body in a barrel.

A judge handed down the sentence against Joseph Chute on Tuesday for the murder of Alex Jackson in May 2023.

Jackson was last seen alive on the afternoon of May 12, 2023. His mom, Patricia Jackson, told CBS 13 in 2023 that he went to go to a friend’s house in the Leeds area.

That same day, his girlfriend said a text sent from Jackson’s phone claimed that Jackson was going to Vermont. His phone powered down around 4:30 p.m. on May 12.

Chute, who owned Jackson money for a construction loader, was arrested in March 2024 and charged with murder, though his body wouldn’t be found until April 19, 2024. Investigators said his body was found in a barrel near a family camp in Stark, New Hampshire.

Jackson had been shot in the back of the head, according to police..

Detectives said Chute’s ex-girlfriend told them about how she helped get rid of the body.

Before Jackson’s body was found, Chute filed a motion to get his charges dismissed, with his lawyers saying that the state couldn’t prove he was responsible for Jackson’s death without a body.

Following the discovery of Jackson’s body, Chute’s lawyers told the Portland Press Herald the discovery did not change their position that their client is innocent.

Chute pleaded not guilty to Jackson’s murder.

Prosecutors claimed that Chute had already confessed to the killing to his girlfriend at the time and a friend.

“The defendant had become emotional that evening. And the defendant told Ashlyn, quote, ‘I’ve done something really messed up things. And that, he hurts me.’ The defendant also told Ashlyn he needed to talk to Payton. And with those two alone, defendant and Payton, the defendant told Payton what he had done,” prosecutors said. “He told Payton, ‘Remember the case,’ referring to Alex’s missing person. The defendant told Payton, ‘It was me, I killed him.'”

The prosecution said Chute felt he had to make the choice between killing Jackson and losing his farm.

The defense argued Jackson’s death was still a mystery and the state’s evidence was not enough to convict.

“They’ll show you exhibits, but you know what you won’t see?” defense attorneys said. “Proof beyond a reasonable doubt of who killed Alex Jackson. You will hear the stories. You will hear that they’ve changed several times. You will hear the rumors. You won’t see any evidence to back it up.”

A jury convicted Chute of murder following a weeklong trial in March.