The body of a Waldoboro man who was found dead in Cushing this month may have been burned, according to a defense attorney representing the third suspect to be charged in the case.

John Flower appears in Knox County Superior Court via Zoom on Friday. Screenshot taken from Zoom hearing

Gregory Snow, an attorney who represented John Flower as a lawyer of the day on Friday, said that the body of 45-year-old Kyle MacDougall was gathered into a carpet and burned.

Much of the circumstances around MacDougall’s death have been sealed from the public since the first suspect, 41-year-old Mark Gagne, was arrested two weeks ago on charges of abuse of a corpse and hindering apprehension.

Snow, who also represented Gagne at his first appearance, said Friday that Gagne was accused of destroying and burning materials related to the crime, including guns and the victim’s bones.

Flower, 39, of Rockland, is accused of hindering law enforcement’s investigation into the death, though it’s still unclear exactly how.

“He was caught up in a situation he was not involved in, other than being forced, somewhat, to be involved in a little portion of it,” Snow said of Flower during his initial court appearance Friday. “I think he will win this case eventually.”

Flower appeared in front of Knox County Superior Court Justice Sarah Gilbert via Zoom from the Knox County Jail, where he was being held on unrelated charges.

His charge is tied to the arrest of Jason Hewett, 39, of Farmingdale, who was booked on a manslaughter charge last week in connection with MacDougall’s death after he was arrested following a chase through the Augusta area.

It’s still unclear how or when MacDougall died. Court documents that would detail the reason for the arrests of the three suspects have been sealed.

All three are in custody.

Although Flower already can’t make the $500 bail for his other charges and hasn’t been accused of violent crimes since 2016, Gilbert said she was concerned about his criminal history and set his bail at $25,000 cash. If he is released, he will be required to report to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office daily.

Flower’s arrest records date to 2002 and include charges of assault and domestic violence. Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Baroody also noted that Flower was sentenced for tampering with a victim in 2006.

Hewett is being held at the Knox County Jail on a $250,000 bail.

His defense attorney, Andrew Wright, said last week that two people who spoke to police about the case gave inconsistent testimonies. Flower was one of them. He told police that MacDougall committed suicide, Wright said. But another man allegedly told someone he was responsible for killing MacDougall.

Gagne is also at the Knox County jail on a $100,000 bail.