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PORTLAND (AP) — A Maine man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the slaying of a sheriff’s deputy.

John Williams is charged with killing 61-year-old Somerset County Cpl. Eugene Cole on April 25 in Norridgewock. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon in a Portland courtroom.

Prosecutors are seeking a life prison sentence.

An affidavit says after killing Cole, Williams stole the deputy’s pickup and robbed a convenience store before abandoning the truck.

Williams then fled into the woods and sparked a four-day manhunt.

No motive has been released for Cole’s killing.

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