AUGUSTA — Two more people are facing murder charges in connection with the death of Joseph Marceau, a 31-year-old Augusta man who was found dead in a Washington Street apartment in November.
Indictments against Zina Marie Fritze, 27, and Michael Sean McQuade, 45 — both of whom lived in the apartment where Marceau was found — were handed up Friday by a grand jury in Kennebec County but not unsealed until Monday. The two were indicted on charges of murder, felony murder and robbery, according to a press release from Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland. Monday was the first time police investigating the case have said publicly that Marceau’s death was “a drug related homicide.” Fritze and McQuade are set for an initial court hearing on Tuesday at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta.
The two were picked up on unrelated probation violation charges Friday by Augusta police.
Fritze and McQuade are the second and third people charged in the killing of Marceau. Damik Davis, 25, of Queens, New York, was arrested on Nov. 23, 2015, the day police found the body of Marceau on the fourth floor of a Washington Street apartment building. Davis is being held without bail in the Kennebec County jail.
Fritze and McQuade were told of the indictments on Monday, just prior to making initial appearances via video to the Capital Judicial Center on probation violation charges.
Fritze, who also has used the last names LoPresti and McQuade, was visible briefly on camera before both she and a judge were told that she would be appearing in court Tuesday.
McQuade’s hearing Monday also was canceled.
Documents in the case against Davis were sealed by a judge at the state’s request, so there is no indication how Marceau was killed. Marceau lived in an apartment on Winthrop Street about a mile from where his body was discovered. Neighbors in the Washington Street apartment building said they heard a series of noises emanating from the apartment occupied by McQuade and Fritze, and records indicate the two were being evicted from their apartment.
The only charges available earlier Monday against Fritze indicated she was charged with two counts of receiving stolen property and one count of misuse of identification. Attorney William Baghdoyan, who was appointed to represent her on those charges, said she was set for a hearing on March 22. Baghdoyan, however, said Monday that he no longer represents defendants on murder charges.
A judge signed a warrant for Fritze’s arrest on Jan. 15 after the state sought to revoke Fritze’s pre-conviction bail on an allegation that she was involved in a number of car burglaries.
McQuade too had been out on bail as well on one count of burglary, six counts of burglary of a motor vehicle and seven counts of theft. According to a series of summonses issued by Augusta police, the vehicles were burglarized on River, Washington, and Water streets as well as Julianne Lane and Northern Avenue Nov. 6-11, 2015.
McQuade was later charged with theft by deception for apparently taking merchandise from Kmart and from Target and attempting to return it to get cash.
Police had questioned Fritze and McQuade two days after Marceau’s body was found, but released them without charges.
A conviction for murder carries a minimum 25 years in prison without the possibility of release or parole.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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