Wednesday, May 16, 2012
By BETTY ADAMS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA — Almost four months after a predawn machete attack left a
father and daughter seriously injured, a suspect pleaded not guilty to
eight charges related to that home invasion, including several
punishable by up to life in prison.
Daniel L. Fortune, 20, of
Augusta was arraigned in a brief hearing Tuesday in Kennebec County
Superior Court on four charges of aggravated attempted murder and one
charge each of attempted murder, robbery, burglary and conspiracy to
commit robbery.
Fortune is accused of being one of two men who
entered the Pittston home of the William Guerrette family May 27 and
slashed both William Guerrette and Nicole Guerrette, then 10.
The
two were hospitalized for weeks with injuries suffered in the attack.
William Guerrette, a former legislator, lost a finger in the attack and
continues to undergo treatment for head and arm injuries. Nicole, too,
had head injuries. Three other family members were home but uninjured.
The
other suspect, Leo R. Hylton, 18, a one-time foster brother of Fortune
and most recently his roommate in Augusta, has pleaded not guilty to
identical charges in the attack. He remains in Cumberland County Jail
in lieu of $1 million bail.
On Tuesday, Justice Nancy Mills
ordered Fortune held in lieu of $1 million bail and granted a request
by Fortune’s attorney, Pamela Ames, to seek a bail hearing at a later
date. Fortune is being held in the Kennebec County jail.
Two
deputies escorted him during the two-block walk to the courthouse.
Fortune, in a dark green two-piece uniform, was handcuffed and chained
at the ankles.
He entered the courtroom slowly and was almost
immediately joined by Ames. The two spoke in low voices as other
hearings took place.
Fortune pleaded not guilty to:
•
four counts of attempted aggravated murder, two that allege the attacks
were premeditated and two that allege “extreme cruelty”;
• one count of attempted murder, in which three other Guerrette family members are named as victims; and
• one count each of robbery, burglary and conspiracy to commit robbery.
The aggravated attempted murder charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Fortune also is charged with stealing $100,000 in cash and historic bank notes from the Guerrette home in November 2007.
Fortune pleaded not guilty to that charge previously.
After
Tuesday’s hearing, District Attorney Evert Fowle said he anticipated a
spring 2009 trial date at the earliest in the home invasion case. He
said the theft trial could take place as soon as November.
In
the meantime, details of the May attack remain sealed by the court.
“This is the type of case that, it’s in the interests of justice and
our interest that the details come out in court,” Fowle said.
He said he preferred to keep the details under wraps to avoid having a change of venue.
He
also said prosecutors have been in contact with the Guerrette family
about the progress of the cases. “They’ve been through something very
traumatic, very horrible,” Fowle said. “They understand that this isn’t
something to be resolved quickly.”
Betty Adams — 621-5631
badams@centralmaine.com
Copyright ©2012 MaineToday Media, Inc.
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Deals
Maine Yellow Pages
Further Discussion
Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include: