HOULTON — The ex-wife of a Maine man charged with killing his girlfriend 15 years ago says he warned his sons to keep quiet. But the defendant denied having anything to do with it in an intercepted phone call.

George Jaime Sr. of Presque Isle said during a phone call from jail that was recorded that he’d done bad things in his life “but I didn’t do it this time.” The 76-year-old is charged in the death of Starlett “Star” Vining, who went missing in 1998 and whose body hasn’t been found. Jaime wasn’t arrested until last year.

WAGM-TV reported that Jaime’s ex-wife told jurors Thursday that Jaime warned his three sons, including one who previously testified to have helped clean up after the killing, “to keep their mouths shut.”