Raymond Lester, who is charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend Nicole Mokeme, is back in Maine and will have his first appearance in state court Wednesday. Lester, 35, arrived in Maine Tuesday night, according to the Maine State Police, and was transported to the Hancock County Jail. He will enter an initial plea before a Hancock County judge at 1 p.m., in Ellsworth.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office charged Lester with murder late last month. State police allege that Lester struck and killed Mokeme with his BMW SUV during a retreat she had organized at Acadia National Park. An affidavit from state police remained sealed from the public on Wednesday, outlining what officers believe happened the night before Mokeme was found. But a federal affidavit from the U.S. Marshal Service details the case and cites numerous witnesses from the retreat who told police that Lester was drinking and driving erratically the night before Mokeme was found dead.
Federal court records also detailed Lester’s flight from Maine, with law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island, Georgia and Texas tracking his car with license plate readers. On Tuesday, a U.S. District judge agreed to dismiss federal charges against Lester for fleeing the state to avoid prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine referred all questions to Maine State Police. State and federal law enforcement agencies spent nearly a month pursuing Lester before arresting him in Cancun, Mexico on July 18.
Source: Yahoonews
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