A judge in West Bath District Court has rejected a defense plea to reduce the $5,000 bail previously set for a Richmond man accused of manslaughter in the beating death of his 76-year-old father.

Kurt Linton, 54, has been held at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset since his arrest Feb. 7, initially on charges of aggravated assault on Malcolm Linton. However, that charge was upgraded to manslaughter Feb. 27, following the elder Linton’s death on Feb. 22 at MaineGeneral Medical Center.

Linton has pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with manslaughter, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of an accident involving a vehicle that was occupied.

On Wednesday, Linton’s attorney, David Paris, asked Justice Daniel Billings to lower Linton’s bail.

District Attorney Jonathan Liberman argued against it, and Billings refused to do it at the conclusion of the brief hearing.

Liberman said later Wednesday that he was filling in for the attorney general’s office, and that Assistant Attorney General Bud Ellis would be the lead prosecutor in the case.

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Maine’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Mark Flomenbaum, who did an autopsy of Malcolm Linton’s body, ruled the cause of death “multiple complications following blunt impact of head,” according to an affidavit by Maine State Police Detective Joshua Birmingham.

The affidavit is filed in the Sagadahoc County Superior Court case.

The affidavit indicates that Richmond police went to Malcolm Linton’s home at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 9 after Sharon Linton — the victim’s wife — called to report that her son had been fighting with his father and that the son had left in her vehicle.

Police found Malcolm Linton suffering from trauma to the left side of his face.

“Malcolm Linton had blood on his forehead, blood in his left eye, severe bruising on forehead and down his left side. Malcolm Linton’s left eye was almost swollen shut,” Birmingham’s report says, adding that Malcolm Linton was unable to stand.

After Malcolm Linton was taken to the hospital, police found Kurt Linton, who told them he and his father had begun to argue, but he gave no reason.

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“Kurt Linton talked to Sgt. (James) Donnell about abuse in the past by Malcolm Linton but said nothing happened that day,” the report said.

Police also took note that one of Kurt Linton’s eyes was red and appeared injured.

The son told police he had punched his father, and another officer indicated Linton said he pushed his father.

Linton was arrested that day on charges of aggravated assault and leaving the scene of an accident. Bail on those charges was set at $1,000 cash with a Maine Pretrial Services contract.

A separate affidavit by Donnell that had been filed in support of those charges said that while Kurt Linton was driving his mother’s vehicle, he “rear-ended a pickup truck, causing the airbags to go off in the vehicle, but Kurt continued to his residence.” At that point, Linton told police “he punched Malcolm defending himself.” Other information indicated Linton most recently had been drinking four 24-ounce beers.

Linton generally stayed in a mobile home on Brunswick Avenue on property owned by his parents, but he had spent much of this past winter with them at their home on Sharmac Lane, according to other documents, which indicated Kurt Linton has been disabled since 2012 and that he was divorced.

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Malcolm Linton was an industrial arts teacher who retired in 1991 from Gardiner Regional Middle School.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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