Philip Scott Fournier, who was arrested on March 4 in the 1980 cold-case killing of an East Millinocket girl, was indicted Wednesday by a Penobscot County grand jury on a charge of murder.

Fournier, 55, had long been considered a person of interest in the death of 16-year-old Joyce McLain, whose body was found on Aug. 10, 1980, behind Schenck High School in East Millinocket.

Maine State Police, who brought the charge against Fournier 35 years later, have yet to explain what new evidence led them to arrest him now.

Fournier’s arraignment date on the murder charge at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor has yet to be set.

Police interviewed Fournier at least 22 times during their years-long investigation, first in 1980 and most recently last July 22. A police affidavit filed with the court described numerous conflicting stories that Fournier gave to investigators, initially confessing to the killing, then changing his story multiple times, sometimes implicating others or claiming that McLain was already dead when he stumbled across her body.

McLain disappeared while jogging about 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 8, 1980. Her partially clad body was found two days later behind the high school soccer fields, her neck and head struck repeatedly with a blunt object. A thunderstorm that occurred while she was still missing washed away much of the evidence. Police said there was no sign of sexual assault.

At the time of her death, McLain was a sophomore at Schenck High School, where she was an honor student, cheerleader, musician and athlete.

A murder conviction in Maine is punishable by 25 years to life in prison.

 

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