BANGOR – A judge will announce her decision later this week in the case of a murder charge stemming from a decades-old death in Maine.

Fifty-seven-year-old Philip Scott Fournier is charged with killing 16-year-old Joyce McLain in East Millinocket in 1980. Superior Court Justice Ann Murray is expected to make her decision public on Thursday.

The case baffled investigators for years. There isn’t physical evidence tying Fournier to the crime scene, but prosecutors say he confessed numerous times over the years. Fournier’s defense says the defendant’s memories are unreliable.

Final arguments in the case were held earlier this month. A defense lawyer said “doubts will linger” over the case regardless of whether Fournier is convicted.

McLain disappeared while jogging and her body was found two day later wearing only sneakers and socks.


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