A witness in a recent high-profile murder trial was found unconscious along a road in Eliot, and police say they want to speak to her husband — a key figure in the case — to learn what happened.

Nancy Durfee, 60, of Alfred was found face down on the lawn in front of 311 Goodwin Road just before 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Eliot Police Chief Theodore Short said she had no obvious injuries, but when she regained consciousness she couldn’t say what had happened, except that she had been driving back from Boston with her husband, John Durfee.

A witness saw a Chevrolet Equinox in the area. Police said it was registered to Nancy Durfee.

Police in neighboring York tried to pull the car over, but the driver refused to comply and officers chased the vehicle through Eliot and into Dover, N.H.

Police called off the chase because of traffic congestion and concerns for public safety, said York police Sgt. Tom Baran. Police continue to investigate and will seek to charge the driver, he said.

Police are still trying to determine what happened to Nancy Durfee and would like to interview John Durfee, Short said Thursday, but they had not been able to find him.

Nancy Durfee was taken to York Hospital for evaluation Wednesday night, Short said.

“We know that she was in this vehicle and exited that vehicle,” he said.

“There are no outward signs of injuries. It doesn’t appear as though she got out of a moving vehicle.”

The Durfees were witnesses in the recent murder trial of Jason Twardus. A jury in York County convicted Twardus two weeks ago of murdering his ex-fiancee, Kelly Gorham, in 2007, then burying her body on his father’s land in a remote town in northern New Hampshire.

Twardus’ lawyer, Daniel Lilley, built a case portraying John Durfee, Gorham’s landlord, as an alternate suspect.

Lilley said he had no direct knowledge of Wednesday’s incident, but if John Durfee was involved it could bolster his argument for a new trial.

“The evidence in the trial showed that Durfee had threatened to kill another woman — tie her up to a tree, rape her and leave her for dead,” Lilley said Thursday.

“That wasn’t enough for the jury (to acquit Twardus), but if I added to that, I think it could very well impact the jury and verdict. It would start to show a pattern.”

Lilley said he may seek Nancy Durfee’s permission to be interviewed by his investigator about Wednesday’s incident.

Lilley said he is filing a motion for a new trial for Twardus, based on what he said was insufficient evidence for a conviction. If a judge agrees, a new trial could be ordered, although that is rare.

“You can always file a motion for a new trial on newly discovered evidence — evidence that wasn’t available or you were not privy to. Obviously, this would fit that definition,” Lilley said of Wednesday’s incident.

Twardus has yet to be sentenced. Any appeals would be filed after he is, Lilley said.

 

Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@pressherald.com