PORTLAND — Marlene McNeill had a knack for helping others live their fullest lives.

The 40-year-old Gorham woman, who worked as a program manager at a nonprofit, was fatally stabbed Monday at a group home on Woodford Street in Portland. Her friends and former co-workers described her this week as a caring mother and hard worker who died doing what was important to her: helping people who are struggling with their mental health.

Armando Javier Negrete, 40, of Portland, was arrested and charged with murder in McNeill’s death. Police say he was a resident at the group home owned by Shalom House, a Portland nonprofit that runs housing programs for adults with severe mental illnesses.

Negrete made his first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon. He called into the courtroom virtually, appearing on a screen from his cell at the Cumberland County Jail. District Court Judge Jed French ordered that he remain in custody without bail and undergo a mental examination.

McNeill worked at the group home on Woodford Street for more than a decade, her former co-workers said. Even when she was promoted, she remained close with clients and went to the home often, they said.

“Clients knew they could go to her and be themselves,” said Elizabeth Brown, 25, of Portland, who used to work at Shalom House.

A GoFundMe fundraiser organized by family members to support McNeill’s partner and their two young children had amassed more than $100,000 in donations as of Wednesday night.

McNeill’s death marked the first homicide in Portland in nearly 18 months. The state’s most populous city didn’t record a single homicide in 2025.

Jessica McKosky, 28, who now lives in Connecticut, said she worked alongside McNeill at Shalom House until 2024. She also provided care to Negrete and said she was shocked to hear what he was accused of because he was “doing very well” with the organization’s services.

McKosky said she hopes the suspect can “get the help he needs.” She said Shalom House’s resources are necessary to help people struggling with mental illness, but that violence can still happen against people working in the field.

“These stories are very, very infrequent. I’ve seen more success stories. I’ve seen more good than bad, but it is part of the work,” she said. “You do go into work not expecting it to happen, but it’s always in the back of your mind, because anyone can snap at any time.”

Friends say McNeill was a tough woman who served as “a safe space” for many people — co-workers, clients and friends alike.

“She made me and everyone around her feel like a great person, in spite of their flaws, which is an amazing gift to have,” said her longtime friend Veronica Ingrao, 40, of Scarborough.

Ingrao said she had been friends with McNeill for more than a decade. She recalled memories of studying flash cards together before McNeill got the job at Shalom House and eventually watching her raise her children.

She said McNeill, who lived in Massachusetts before moving to Maine, started embracing nature in recent years. Friends say McNeill loved camping, hiking and skiing, especially with her family.

Some of her friends, including 50-year-old Colleen Garrick, of Portland, said McNeill was an integral support system for them as they worked toward recovery and sobriety.

Friends say they were inspired by her authenticity and spontaneity, like when she would take days off work to spend time with her daughter and her fondness for attending AC/DC concerts to honor her late father, Zane McNeill.

McNeill lived a busy life, Garrick said, but “she didn’t waste a minute of it.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated May 6 to correct Veronica Ingrao’s age.