A 27-year-old Massachusetts man has been arrested in connection with the death of Grace Burton, a Farmington woman who was killed in her apartment in June.

Juan A. Contreras, 92 Chester Lane, Waltham, Mass., was taken into custody Thursday night in his hometown. He was charged with being a fugitive from justice and will face a murder charge once he returns to Maine, according to a press release from Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Contreras was arrested about 6:45 p.m. by Waltham and Massachusetts State Police. Five Maine State Police detectives arrived in Waltham a short time after the arrest was made.

Contreras was to be held Thursday night at the Waltham Police Department and was scheduled to make his first appearance in a nearby court today.

Burton, 81, was stabbed to death inside her apartment on Fairbanks Road.

State police believe Contreras was living in Farmington at the time of Burton’s death, McCausland said. He said the arrest came after DNA samples were compared this week at the State Police crime lab in Augusta.

No other details of the arrest were available Thursday night.

McCausland said Burton’s family was notified as soon as the arrest was made.


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