HOULTON, Maine — The 17-year old charged with murder in the death of a 61-year-old Houlton man last year was “largely following” his 20-year-old co-defendant at the time of the killing, a clinical psychologist for the defense testified Thursday afternoon.
The statements by Dr. Ronald Brown of Bangor were made during a hearing to determine whether Samuel Geary, who was 16 when he allegedly was involved in the killing of Keith Suitter, will be tried as a juvenile or an adult.
Geary and Reginald Dobbins Jr. are accused of stabbing and brutally beating the victim to death with a hammer in Suitter’s mobile home in Houlton on March 1, 2015.
Dobbins pleaded not guilty to the charge in June and is being held without bail in the Aroostook County Jail.
Geary has entered a plea of denial in juvenile court, which is equivalent to a not guilty plea in adult proceedings. He is being held in a state juvenile facility.
The Maine attorney general’s office seeks to have Geary tried as an adult.
The medical examiner who performed an autopsy on Suitter testified April 11 that the victim suffered 21 blunt force trauma blows, mostly to the head, that appeared to have been inflicted by a hammer, and 10 stab wounds to the head and back.
Krispen Culbertson, Geary’s attorney, maintained April 13 that the murder was a “drug-related robbery.” Dobbins reportedly told Geary that they were going to stop at Suitter’s house to procure marijuana before allegedly murdering him, rifling through his home and stealing several undisclosed items.
On April 13, Brown discussed with the prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General John Alsop, a psychological evaluation that Brown did on Geary over ten hours in 2015. He told Alsop that the test results were “unremarkable,” except for an alcohol and substance abuse diagnosis.
Brown told Alsop that in his opinion, Geary was impacted by drugs and alcohol at the time of the alleged crime, that there was a “power imbalance” in the relationship between Geary and Dobbins, and that Geary was “being directed” by Dobbins.
Geary testified on April 12 that he was present when the 61-year-old victim was killed last March, but that he participated only under duress. He blamed much of what happened on Dobbins.
But Alsop disputed Brown’s assessment that Geary was being directed by Dobbins.
The prosecutor brought up prior testimony in pointing out that Geary continued to maintain a friendship with Dobbins against his mother’s wishes and lied to her in order to see the co-defendant.
William Alderson, Geary’s junior high football coach, also testified for the defense last Wednesday and spoke highly of Geary’s character and work ethic.
Alsop got Alderson to admit, however, that he had not coached Geary since 2012.
The prosecutor also referred to earlier testimony that indicated Geary was belligerent with police officers who dealt with him when he was found drinking at a party in 2014 and had continued to get into fights and deface property at the Mountain View Youth Development Center in Charleston after his arrest for murder.
District Court Judge Bernard O’Mara is expected to take under advisement the testimony heard over the three-day session and to issue a written decision at a later date.
