The Maine man who is accused of killing his girlfriend in Westbrook in 1987 pleaded not guilty to murder on Monday.

Stephen Bouchard, 63, of Winslow, was taken into custody by Maine State Police on Friday afternoon and charged with killing 23-year-old Alice Hawkes, whose body was found on Oct. 4, 1987, in the apartment she shared with Bouchard.

State police said in their announcement that they had reopened the investigation of the cold case last year, but they have not shared how they connected Bouchard to Hawkes’ slaying.

A police spokesperson declined Monday to answer questions about Bouchard’s arrest, instead directing a reporter to the Office of the Maine Attorney General. The attorney general’s office declined to answer a reporter’s questions about the case, other than to confirm that Bouchard was arrested at his home in Winslow.

Bouchard was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury on Thursday. He appeared for his arraignment in court Monday afternoon, where Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman ordered he remain in custody at the Cumberland County Jail without bail.

Bouchard stood solemnly, wearing handcuffs and a yellow jail jumpsuit, beside his attorney Peter Cyr, who said he had not yet received evidence or paperwork in the case.

Court documents that would detail the reason for Bouchard’s arrest were not yet available Monday.

Hawkes’ death certificate indicated that her throat had been slit, and an autopsy determined she had bled to death, according to Portland Press Herald reporting from the aftermath of her killing.

According to her obituary, Hawkes was born and raised in Bangor, attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland, and worked for Maine Savings Bank in South Portland.

FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS REACT TO ARREST

Hawkes’ family released a statement Monday through the attorney general’s office, asking for privacy as the case moves through the legal process and thanking authorities for their dedication to the investigation. 

“After many years of unanswered questions, the arrest of Stephen Bouchard brings renewed hope that justice for Alice will finally be achieved,” the statement reads. “We also want to thank our family, friends and members of the media who helped keep Alice’s name and her case in the public spotlight over the years. Your support, prayers and determination have meant more to us than words can express.”

Mark Swett, of Westbrook, took an interest in the cold case in 2009; for the past 17 years, he has been working with the family, researching and writing about Hawkes to keep her story alive. Even after almost 40 years, they never lost hope. 

At 2:40 p.m. Friday — about 25 minutes after Bouchard was arrested — Swett received a call from Hawkes’ sister Rosemary Driggers. 

She asked him if he was sitting down, and then she told him a grand jury had indicted Bouchard and that he was now in custody. 

Driggers’ unexpected call Friday was exhilarating and shocking, Swett said. 

“Her voice had this whole new life in it that I had not heard for all these years,” Swett said. “The minute I heard her voice, I knew something was going on.”

The news of Bouchard’s arrest was a tremendous relief for members of the family, Swett said, and they’re overwhelmed by all the support they’ve received on social media. They will have to prepare themselves for a trial, but for now, the family is just trying to take it all in. 

Swett said he does not yet know whether new evidence was uncovered or technology applied to old evidence revealed new information.

“A lot of these questions that we’ve been wondering all these years, we’re hopefully going to find some answers to them,” Swett said. 

In Winslow, one of Bouchard’s neighbors, who hadn’t heard about the arrest, said Bouchard seemed like a nice person. He said Bouchard did a lot of work on his house since moving in, and could often be seen mowing his lawn. The neighbor said he’d take Bouchard’s trash cans in if Bouchard was out of town, but that he didn’t even know Bouchard’s last name.

Bouchard’s house on Clinton Avenue is well kept. It has a welcome sign by the front door, dark-colored porch furniture, and a decorative “B” on the side door. Dandelions are popping out of the grass.

No one at the house responded immediately on Monday to a note that was left requesting comment.

At The 107 convenience store nearby, Winslow residents didn’t have much to say about the case. A few who don’t know Bouchard were surprised to hear about an arrest in such an old case. One employee said she was relieved for Hawkes’ family.

This story was updated on May 12 to include a response to questions from the Maine attorney general’s office.