By Judy Harrison
Staff Writer
BANGOR, Maine — Anthony Lord was scheduled to plead guilty Monday at the Penobscot Judicial Center to charges related to an alleged two-county rampage last year that left two people dead.
Instead, his attorneys, Hunter Tzovarras and Logan Perkins, both of Bangor, withdrew from the case, citing a breakdown in the attorney/client relationship. Superior Court Justice Ann Murray said she would appoint Jeffrey Toothaker of Ellsworth and David Bate of Bangor to represent Lord. Toothaker confirmed that he would take on the case with Bate.
Murray previously set a jury trial for late August 2017 in Bangor. The Aroostook and Penobscot county cases were combined for trial. Toothaker could seek a delay but did not say Monday if he would ask that the trial be rescheduled.
Lord, 36, of Houlton and Crystal is accused of shooting five people, killing two of them, beating another man and kidnapping a woman he knew.
He pleaded not guilty last year to two counts each of intentional or knowing murder, attempted murder with a firearm and theft of a firearm. Lord also pleaded not guilty to five counts of reckless conduct with a firearm and one count each of arson, aggravated assault with a firearm, elevated aggravated assault with a firearm, kidnapping, eluding an officer and aggravated assault with the use of a dangerous weapon.
The Penobscot County murder indictment is connected to the death of Kevin Tozier, 58, of Lee on July 17, 2015, at a woodlot in Lee.
The murder charge in Aroostook County is connected to the shooting death the same day of Kyle Hewitt, 22, in Benedicta. Hewitt was the boyfriend of Brittany Irish, the woman Lord knew and is accused of kidnapping.
The arson count, also a Class A felony charge, stems from a fire he allegedly set to a barn in Benedicta, owned by Kim and Richard Irish on the day before the slayings.
The crime spree allegedly began when the Benedicta barn was set ablaze. Lord then made his way to nearby Silver Ridge Township and attacked Kary Mayo, who was tied to a chair and beaten, according to police. Guns and a truck allegedly were stolen during the 4:40 a.m. July 17, 2015, break-in at Mayo’s home.
Lord then returned to the Irish home in Benedicta where, according to the indictment, he shot Kim Irish in the shoulder with a .22-caliber revolver.
Hewitt was shot as he lay asleep on a couch in the Irish home, police reported, and he succumbed to his wounds a few hours later after being flown to a medical facility by a LifeFlight helicopter.
In the process of kidnapping Hewitt’s girlfriend, Brittany Irish, 22, Lord also shot at a man who drove onto the Irish property to check out the fire damage, according to police. Lord was charged with his second count of attempted murder, according to police, because he repeatedly shot at Carleton Eddy with a .22-caliber revolver.
After he left Benedicta, Lord was in a high-speed chase in Medway involving East Millinocket police, with Lord shooting at the officer, police reported. Shortly afterward, at 6:20 a.m. July 17, 2015, Lord pulled into the woodlot, shot Tozier and Clayton McCarthy, 54, of Mattawamkeag, police said.
Lord surrendered later that day at the home of his uncle Carl Lord Jr. in Houlton.
If convicted, Lord faces between 25 years and life in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a defendant convicted on multiple counts of murder may be sentenced to life in prison.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.
Bangor Daily News writers Dawn Gagnon and Jen Lynds contributed to this report.
