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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Neighbor recalls murder suspect as calm, pleasant

12-18-2010 Maine:

Accused killer remains in jail

AUGUSTA -- Peter Bathgate seemed to neighbors a quiet, respectful young man who cared about Jessica Jones, the woman he often referred to as his wife.

But the 30-year-old Bathgate is behind bars today, accused of murdering Paul Allen, 47, of Augusta, in a fit of jealous rage sparked by Allen's alleged romantic interest in Jones, the mother of Bathgate's 3-year-old daughter.

"It was a sad thing," Marlene Coyne said Thursday from the door of her home next to the apartment Bathgate and Jones shared. "He was so calm."

Bathgate was arrested outside a Washington Street apartment building Tuesday after a 10-hour standoff with police and charged with murder. He continues to be held without bail at the Kennebec County jail and faces a minimum of 25 years in prison if found guilty.

Game wardens found Allen's body Sunday off Winthrop Street in Hallowell.

Jones told police that Allen, whom she described as an acquaintance, had stopped by her apartment around 11 p.m., Dec. 2 for about an hour.

Bathgate showed up unannounced a short time after Allen left, Jones told police.

Bathgate and Jones then left with their daughter, around 3 a.m., to drive to Hallowell, where Bathgate made a cell phone call, police say.

Jones told police she let Bathgate out of the car carrying a walking stick, then drove a short distance and parked near Town Farm Road.

She told police a pickup truck similar to Allen's passed, heading in Bathgate's direction, then reappeared a short time later and proceeded up Town Farm Road.

Some time later, Bathgate, now without the walking stick, called Jones and asked her to pick him up near where Jones had seen the truck, according to Jones' account to police.

"Bathgate said the reason for what happened to Allen was jealously and rage," Maine State Police Detective Adam Kelley wrote. "Bathgate said he was jealous and did not like the way Allen talked to and flirted with his girlfriend, Jessica Jones."

Police believe Bathgate stabbed Allen using a walking stick, the broken remnants of which were found near his body.

But they have thus far been silent on the legal status of Jones, whose own account of the incident has her driving Bathgate to and from the area of the alleged murder scene. A call placed to Deputy Attorney General William Stokes regarding Jones' legal status was not returned Thursday.

Until recently, Bathgate and Jones, 23, shared one of two apartments inside a ranch-style home on Western Avenue Place.

On Thursday, two men, one of whom identified himself as Jones' father, were loading a pickup truck with toys and other items from that apartment.

The man who identified himself as Jones' father said she did not wish to speak about the charges against Bathgate. He did not indicate whether Jones is still in the area.

Bathgate and Jones were unfamiliar to most neighbors, but Coyne said she had spoken to Bathgate several times and had seen the couple outside with their daughter.

"He was always polite and pleasant to us," Coyne said.

Coyne recalled an exchange a few months ago regarding a neighbor's dog that had been left inside alone and had been barking for several hours.

Bathgate was concerned for the dog's safety, Coyne said.

"He said, 'It's keeping my wife and baby awake,'" Coyne recalled. "He always told us she was his wife." ..Source.. by Kennebec Journal Staff

Augusta Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Drugs from Murder Victim

12-9-2010 Maine:

Augusta - A man from Augusta is going to prison for three years for robbery, theft and stealing drugs, including medication from a man who was recently murdered.

23-year old Joshua Theriault-Patten pleaded guilty yesterday to three separate crimes.

Among them, stealing prescription medication from 47-year-old Paul Allen in January.

Allen's body was found over the weekend in Hallowell and another man is charged with his murder.

The Kennebec County District Attorney says because Allen is dead, one of the drug charges against Theriault-Patten was dropped.

Theriault-Patten also admitted to beating up a man in August, stealing $300 and a cell phone. ..Source.. byCatherine Pegram

Police say jealous rage fueled slaying

Peter George Bathgate II stabbed Paul Allen with a cane over a woman, a police affidavit says.

AUGUSTA - Peter George Bathgate II used a walking cane to stab 47-year-old Paul Allen to death in a fit of jealous rage, court documents say.

Bathgate, 30, of Augusta, who was arrested Tuesday after a long standoff at an apartment building in Augusta, made his first court appearance Wednesday morning in Kennebec County Superior Court. The judge ordered him held without bail on a single count of murder.

Justice Michaela Murphy told Bathgate that a conviction on the charge carries a minimum 25-year prison sentence and a maximum sentence of life without opportunity for release.

The charge is to be presented to a grand jury, she said.

An affidavit filed by Maine State Police Detective Adam Kelley says Allen had aroused a murderous rage in Bathgate by flirting with Jessica Jones, 23, of Augusta, who has a 3-year-old daughter with Bathgate.

Jones told investigators that Allen visited her briefly late on Dec. 2. When Bathgate came home later, he called Allen and arranged to meet him near Town Farm Road and Winthrop Street in Hallowell, early on Dec. 3.

According to the affidavit, Jones told police that she drove Bathgate there, and that Bathgate carried a walking cane. Jones then drove a short distance away and parked. ..Source.. by Betty Adams

Augusta homicide victim was registered sex offender

12-7-2010 Maine:

We're learning more about the victim in a murder case out of Augusta.
47 year old Paul Allen was indeed murdered but police are not releasing the cause of death. Game wardens searching for Allen over the weekend found his body on Winthrop Street in Hallowell. He was last seen alive at a toy auction in Chelsea on Thursday. Allen worked as a worm digger, was married and had four sons. He was also convicted of four counts of sexual assault against a minor in 1997, and was a registered sex offender.
Augusta homicide victim was registered sex offender. ..Source.. by WGME13.com

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