HOULTON, Maine — Jury selection in the case of a Massachusetts woman being tried for murder in connection with the death of an Oakfield man will begin on Feb. 15.
Tia Leigh Ludwick, 24, of Leominster, Massachusetts, is charged with felony murder and robbery in the death of of Douglas Morin Jr., on or about Oct. 16, 2016.
Two other Massachusetts residents, Marcus Asante, 21, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and Darin Goulding, 32, also were charged in connection with Morin’s death. They will begin later this year.
A press release from the Maine State Police in 2016 indicated that the homicide was drug-related. Investigators have not elaborated and police reports have not been made public.
All three suspects were taken into custody in Fitchburg and Leominster, Massachusetts, between Oct. 21 and 26, and remain held in Massachusetts on fugitive from justice charges. Maine Attorney General John Alsop and Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber are prosecuting the case. Attorneys Steve Smith and John Tebbets are defending Ludwick.
Asante unsuccessfully attempted to ditch Adam Swanson, who is one of his court-appointed attorneys, during a court hearing in Sept. 2017. Aroostook County Superior Court Justice Harold Stewart quickly decided that Asante would stick with the attorneys he already had.
“You have the right to court appointed attorneys,” said Stewart. “But not the ones of your choice.”
Asante also decided during the hearing that he would quit fighting attempts by the state attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting the case, to collect his DNA and fingerprints for analysis. His attorneys had objected to the prosecution’s requests.
Morin Jr.’s body was found in a vehicle on PD Road in Sherman at about 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 16, about three hours after he was seen leaving home. Family members said Morin was a logging truck driver who was due to return to work after having been laid off for about a year. A deer and bird hunter, fisherman, occasional kayaker and avid mechanic, Morin loved engines of all sorts.
