AUGUSTA — The man accused of fatally shooting a Readfield man last week and setting his house on fire was brought into court in tears Monday.

David B. Silva Jr., 32, heard the judge in Kennebec County Superior Court read charges of murder, arson and robbery against him.

Justice Michaela Murphy told him that conviction on the murder charge carries a minimum of 25 years in prison, and that convictions on the other charges carry terms as long as 30 years. He was not asked to enter a plea.

Silva is accused of killing Robert A. Orr, 53, by shooting him in the head on Feb. 8 as Orr sat in a living room chair. Orr’s remains were found the next day as investigators sifted through the debris of his home.

After allegedly fleeing, pawning goods stolen from Orr and using the money to buy heroin, Silva was arrested following a brief standoff Thursday at his mother’s house in Carver, Mass. He waived extradition Friday and was returned to Maine early Saturday.

In the courtroom, he was handcuffed, wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit, with tattoos visible on his fingers and neck.

Advertisement

Deputy Attorney General William Stokes and William Baghdoyan, who was appointed to represent Silva, told the judge that they will be prepared for a bail hearing next week.

About 40 people watched Silva’s brief court appearance, many of them family members and friends of Orr. Security officers used metal detectors at the entrance of the court to screen people before Silva’s hearing.

Orr’s family declined to speak to the media afterward. They released a note thanking the communities of Readfield and Winthrop and the firefighters who responded to the blaze that leveled the home.

“Bob touched a lot of people’s hearts,” wrote Janet Orr, Robert Orr’s widow. “They took my soulmate of 20 years.”

“Bob was Pa to everybody,” wrote Rick Barisano, Janet Orr’s son. “No one can believe he’s gone.”

Investigators say Silva shot Orr, leaving his slumped body in a chair, before fleeing with Lindsay Spence of Plymouth, Mass. Spence and Silva had been living with Orr for several weeks before the slaying.

Advertisement

Spence, who initially lied to police about her knowledge of the incident, will not be charged.

An autopsy failed to confirm Orr’s identity last week; investigators are now using DNA forensics to confirm that the body is Orr’s.

Orr is listed as the victim in the murder charge against Silva and in a supporting affidavit by Maine State Police Detective Jason Richards.

Outside the courthouse, Dolores Werder, first vice commander of American Legion Post 40 in Winthrop, cried for Robert Orr, her friend.

“He was a Son of the Legion,” Werder said, alluding to a Legion membership category open to those who are sons of veterans.

She and others at the post saw Orr just hours before he died. Werder said he left early in the evening on Feb. 8 because he wasn’t feeling well.

Advertisement

As he was led away, Silva said outside the courthouse, “I have nothing to say, except I’m sorry.”

 

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.