The New Hampshire man accused of killing a man inside a home in Berwick last month entered a not-guilty plea during his arraignment Thursday in York County Superior Court.
Daniel Lafrenier, 31, of Rochester has been charged with murder in the January death of 37-year-old Mark Forest of Berwick. He also was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
During a brief appearance before Justice Wayne R. Douglas, attorney Tina Nadeau entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of her client. Lafrenier, who appeared via Zoom from York County Jail, spoke only to acknowledge that he could hear the proceeding.
Lafrenier will continue to be held without bail.
An affidavit filed by Maine State Police Detective Michael Chavez was unsealed this week and provides the first details about what police allege happened inside the home on Katabel Lane on Jan. 12.
Lafrenier’s mother, Luann Lafrenier, called 911 at 7:48 a.m. to report that a man had shot himself and was not breathing.
But another witness later told police it was Daniel Lafrenier who fired the shot, after getting into an argument with Forest.
Berwick police officers found Forest lying on the couch with wounds to his head, according to the affidavit. He was taken to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire, where he was later pronounced dead.
According to the affidavit, Luann Lafrenier called her son and asked him to pick her up because Forest had threatened to beat her during an argument over some stolen clothes.
When Daniel Lafrenier arrived with another man and began to argue with Forest and others, he pointed a gun at Forest’s head. The affidavit said Forest either tried to push the gun away or grab it.
“Sorry,” Daniel Lafrenier said to his mother, telling her that the gun had “gone off,” Chavez wrote. Luann Lafrenier later told police that she heard a bang and then heard another witness yell “There’s blood everywhere.”
Daniel Lafrenier was arrested later that day after allegedly trying to break into a home in York. As he was being taken into custody, he told an officer that the gun was in his backpack, according to the affidavit.
Forest, who was married and had six children, worked for many years in the electrical field. He enjoyed carpentry work, landscaping, cooking, riding his motorcycle and custom LED lighting work, according to his obituary. His family described him as a hardworking and protective person who had a way with words and was known for “making something out of nothing.”
“Mark was very passionate about his family, especially spending quality time with his children and making special memories with each one of them,” his family wrote in his obituary.
After Forest’s death, nearly $6,000 was raised through a GoFundMe campaign to help his family with funeral arrangements.
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