Susan Kochanowski was accused of setting the fire at her Caribou apartment that killed her boyfriend, Jason Donahue. A judge last week found her not criminally responsible after listening to testimony from a state psychiatrist.
Emily Allen
Staff Writer
Emily Allen covers courts for the Portland Press Herald. It's her favorite beat so far — before moving to Maine in 2022, she reported on a wide range of topics for public radio in West Virginia and was the City Hall reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Emily is not a fan of the cold, but she puts up with Maine's challenging winters because she loves the state's beautiful hiking options ... once the snow has cleared.
Maine Department of Corrections names new superintendent of state’s sole youth prison
Ryan Andersen has worked for the department for 17 years and has been serving as interim superintendent of the Long Creek Youth Development Center since March.
Defense attorneys, ACLU question whether new bail reviews for unrepresented defendants are working
Maine judges are holding weekly hearings for poor Mainers who can’t find a court-appointed attorney. But in the last six months, the number of people waiting has grown from 100 to more than 630.
Biden nominates Maine judge to serve on federal appeals court in Boston
Superior Justice Julia Lipez has been selected to join the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles cases from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island.
U.S. Senate committee weighing nomination of Portland attorney to serve as federal judge
Stacey Neumann worked as both a federal prosecutor and a public defender before going into private practice in Portland.
Federal prosecutors accuse 3 Massachusetts men of Saco drive-by shooting
Prosecutors announced the arrests Thursday and said they believe the shooting involved 2 rival gangs who were distributing drugs in the Saco-Biddeford area.
Former Portland teacher pleads guilty to federal child pornography charge
Travis McCutcheon, 54, was working in a special education program at Portland schools until February 2023.
Waldoboro man who ran for Maine Senate sentenced to 15 months for storming U.S. Capitol
Matthew Brackley, 40, pleaded guilty in January to 1 count of assaulting, resisting or impeding police for his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol 3 years ago.
New filings in lawsuit over Maine’s Mega Millions offer more personal details about mysterious winner
A man anonymously suing the mother of his child is disputing allegations claiming he attempted to kidnap their daughter.
Maine’s high court upholds order calling for trial over indigent defense crisis
Lawyers for the state had appealed a ruling from Superior Justice Michaela Murphy that ordered the ACLU and Maine’s indigent defense agency to be ready for trial in June.