CARIBOU, Maine — Jury selection will begin on July 10 in the case of a Florida man accused of killing an elderly acquaintance at his Presque Isle home.
Robert Craig, 81, of Clearwater, Florida, is accused of murdering 86-year-old Leo Corriveau, whose body was found by family members on July 23, 2016, in the backyard of his Route 1 home in Presque Isle. An autopsy by the state medical examiner determined that Corriveau was strangled, suffered broken ribs and cuts on his arm and head, and likely died at least 40 hours before he was found. The affidavit did not specify a motive for the killing.
Craig was arrested near his home in Clearwater, Florida, five days later by two Maine State Police detectives. He was indicted last September.
Presque Isle resident Leo Corriveau, who died at age 86 as a result of a homicide that is still under investigation. (Courtesy/Scott Englund)
Assistant Attorney General Robert “Bud” Ellis said on June 21 that he couldn’t talk about a motive for the crime or release any other details about the case before it goes to trial. The prosecutor said he is confident a jury can be selected in Aroostook County despite widespread publicity on the case.
Craig is being represented by Attorneys Steven Smith and Chris Coleman, according to court documents.
Corriveau had returned to Maine from Florida on July 12 with Craig, who worked in lawn maintenance in Florida most of his life, according to the affidavit.
Craig stayed with Corriveau for a while in Presque Isle and even met some of Corriveau’s nine grown children. But at one point Corriveau told a relative that Craig was lazy and he wanted him to leave, the affidavit said.
Corriveau’s red Buick Enclave sport-utility vehicle was missing from his home when his body was discovered, but police later found it at Dysart’s in Hermon, where Craig is believed to have driven it before taking a bus back to Florida, according to investigators.
Ellis said the state believed that Craig at one point was ready to accept a plea agreement and plead guilty in exchange for a reduced charge of manslaughter and a maximum 30-year sentence.
In March, however, Craig changed his mind and rejected the deal, forcing the trial.
