SACO — A Biddeford woman was arrested on Friday, Dec. 1 in Brooklyn, New York, in connection with a shooting that took place in Saco on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Maine is seeking her extradition back to the state.
Ariana Tito has been charged with attempted murder and elevated aggravated assault, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Saco Police were dispatched to 103 Temple St. early morning last Tuesday where they found 32-year-old Kayla Grant of Saco suffering from a gunshot wound, according to a Department of Public Safety press release from Dec. 1. The release also noted that at that time Grant was in critical but stable condition.
Tito, 18, was arrested by FBI task force agents and is being held at Rikers Island, a New York jail that is notorious for its violence and abuse and neglect of detainees.
Tito appeared in Kings County Criminal Court on Dec. 2 and chose not to waive extradition, which means the state of Maine must appeal to New York state in order to extradite Tito, according to a spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office who spoke to the Biddeford Courier Monday.
Danna Hayes, special assistant to the Maine Attorney General, said in practice this means the Maine AG’s office will make a “demand” for the accused’s return to Maine, which New York will review.
“If they find it is sufficient under their law then they will issue a governor’s warrant from their state directing that their state authorities ‘deliver’ the fugitive to the demanding state authorities,” wrote Hayes in email to the Courier Monday.
Tito is slated to appear again in Kings County Criminal Court on Jan. 2, according to the Brooklyn DA’s office.
Moss confirmed Monday via email that a hearing date has been set for Jan. 2. Maine has begun the state extradition process, she said, and that the hearing could be moved up if New York issues their decision on the governor’s warrant sooner than that date.
According to last Friday’s press release, Maine State Police Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Tito Wednesday, Nov. 29. Maine State Police, Saco Police, Biddeford Police, Old Orchard Beach Police, New York City Police, Massachusetts State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI collaborated throughout the week to find Tito.
The shooting took place at the same address as the Monday, Nov. 27 arrest of 25-year-old Lorenze A. Labonte. Labonte has been charged with the murder of Ahmed Sharif of Lewiston.
Moss declined to say whether there is a connection between Grant’s shooting and Labonte’s arrest.
The series of events revolving around 103 Temple St. began on Friday, Nov. 24, when Biddeford Police found 27-year-old Ahmed Sharif dead in an apartment on State Street in Biddeford. He had been shot and died of his injuries. His death was ruled a homicide and Maine State Police arrested Labonte at the Temple Street address three days later.
On Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 28, the same day Grant was shot, Labonte made an appearance in York County Superior Court via Zoom, where Judge James Martemucci walked through the charges being brought against him. It was an initial hearing and Labonte did not enter a plea.
Labonte faces one count of murder and three other charges pertaining to a separate incident in early September – a terrorizing felony, an assault felony and a misdemeanor that he violated conditions of his release. Defense Attorney Verne Paradie was assigned to Labonte’s case, though Labonte made an appeal to switch to a different attorney who he has worked with in the past. The judge said he would consider the request.
The judge granted a request from Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Ackerman to prevent the public release of the police affidavit — a document detailing the evidence and circumstances surrounding the arrest.
The judge also barred Labonte himself from seeing it for the time being, though he said that Paradie may be able to share the information with his client at a later date. As of the initial hearing, Labonte was being held without bail, pending an upcoming bail hearing.
Preventing a defendant from seeing their own arrest affidavit is unusual.
Earlier last week, prior to Tito’s arrest, the Portland Press Herald consulted experts about the judge’s move to seal the affidavit. Rutgers Law School Professor Thea Johnson told the paper that protecting witnesses or preventing a suspect from being alerted that they are of interest to police are two reasons a court may prevent someone from seeing their own affidavit.
Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Tim Zerillo said that not releasing the information to Labonte could hinder his ability to participate in arguing his defense and for his release on bail.
Both experts said they were not familiar with Labonte’s case and could only talk about sealing an affidavit as a general matter.
Also according to the Press Herald, a court records search revealed that Labonte has been convicted of crimes multiple times, including on charges of domestic violence, reckless conduct and assault.
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