A New York man has been identified by authorities as the fourth person involved in a drug-related killing of a man inside an Augusta apartment in November.
Aubrey Armstrong, 26, of Far Rockaway, New York, was indicted last month by the Kennebec County grand jury, and police have been looking for him since then, according to a news release Tuesday from Steven McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Armstrong, who went by the street name “Butta,” was described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 155 pounds.
Joseph Marceau, 31, was found dead in an apartment at 75 Washington St. the night of Nov. 23 when police responded to a report of a disturbance there about 8 p.m.
Three people were charged after the killing. Damik Davis, 25, of Queens, New York, was the first to be charged with murder, followed by Zina Marie Fritze, 27, and Michael Sean McQuade, 45. The apartment where Marceau was found was rented to Fritze and McQuade.
The couple pleaded not guilty last month to murder charges. A day later Fritze was found dead after hanging herself in her cell at the Kennebec County jail. Interim Sheriff Ryan Reardon said Fritze was not considered to be a significant threat to herself and was on a “lower form of observation based on her interaction and statements to mental health professionals within the facility.” In that instance, protocol calls for jail staff to check on her every 15 minutes. She was alone in her cell when a corrections officer found her unresponsive on the afternoon of Jan. 27.
Armstrong probably fled back to New York after Marceau’s killing, McCausland said Tuesday. Police have been working with the U.S. Marshal’s Service and New York law enforcement agencies to find him. His last known address was 2312 Oceancrest Blvd., Far Rockaway, New York.
“New York authorities have tried to retrace his steps, including searching that address, but we have no idea where he is,” McCausland said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s doubtful he’d return to Maine, but because we’ve been unable to locate him, the decision was made to release his name.”
McCausland said authorities are not aware of any other contacts Armstrong would have in Maine.
Police have not said how Marceau died. Indictments related to the case remained unavailable Tuesday.
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 the night Marceau was killed, emanating from the apartment occupied by McQuade and Fritze. Records indicate the two were being evicted from their apartment.
Police ask that anyone with information on Armstrong’s whereabouts call state police in Augusta at 624-7076 or a local law enforcement agency.
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